System and method for collecting and using player information

ABSTRACT

A distributed computer system is provided for collecting player information Further, a scoring system is provided that rates a player based on one or more elements of the collected information. Players may be rated with respect to a number of characteristics. Responsive to a determined rating or score, action may be taken by the distributed system with regard to the player. For instance, the player may be provided a complimentary offer, provided an award, and invitation to come to a gambling location, presented an advertisement, or other action may be performed involving the player. Further, the distributed computer system may permit a player to manage their frequent player accounts and receive complimentary offers based on a set of criteria specified by the player.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/016,801, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHODFOR COLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION,” by Mark Herrmann et al.,filed Dec. 26, 2007, of which application is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention relates generally to gaming, and moreparticularly to collecting and using information relating to players.

BACKGROUND

Traditional methods of collecting player information include informationcollected by player tracking systems, such as, for example,International Game Technology's Advantage system, Bally Technology'sSlot Management System and Table Management System. Player trackingsystems are useful for automating some or all of the tasks required toprovide additional incentives for frequent or loyal play. For example,points may be awarded for every unit of wagers made and those points maybe redeemed for prizes.

Player tracking systems utilize magnetic striped cards to hold a uniqueidentifier which is associated with a specific person's account. Eachgambling machine and/or table game position is equipped with acompatible card reader. A person wishing to allow their gamblingactivities to be monitored inserts their card into the compatible cardreader. Other identification techniques are also useful with playertracking systems and include but are not limited to biometricidentification, smart cards and Hollerith cards. In some cases,additional identity authentication is required such as entering a PIN orpassword on a keypad or touchscreen.

Most player tracking systems include a display which providesacknowledgment that the card was accurately read and associated with anaccount. Typically, for so long as the person's card remains inserted inthe reader, all gambling activity that occurs on the associated gamblinggame is recorded on the identified account.

Such activity is monitored and tracked by casinos and other gamingestablishments to determine, among other things, a classification of aparticular player. Such activities are monitored to determinecomplimentary packages, such as free hotel rooms, casino credits andother incentives that may be used to retain the player's business, or toencourage a return visit to the casino.

Numerous organizations and companies have incentive programs forcustomers. For example, airlines have frequent flyer programs that allowa member passenger to take free trips or provide other perks after themember has taken a minimum number of flights or has flown a minimumnumber of miles. Numerous other types of establishments, including hotelchains, chain stores, and movie rental companies, have similar programsused to incentivize a customer.

Casinos also often have similar frequent player programs that provideincentives for continued customer patronage. For instance, the FoxwoodsCasino (Mashantucket, Conn.) offers a program referred to as WampumRewards. A player participating in the program receives a card which theplayer uses whenever he/she comes to the casino. In one exampleimplementation, the player swipes the card at special kiosks locatedwithin the casino which permit that player to have a chance to winprizes. A Wampum Rewards member may also swipe his or her card wheneverbetting or spending money within the casino and in the associated hotel,resort, or shops. As the player bets or spends more money, the playerbecomes eligible for free or reduced cost perks. Other examples offrequent player programs used in the casino environment include thewell-known Harrah's Total Rewards, Wynn Casino's Red Card, and TrumpCasinos' Trump Card programs (e.g., Trump One Card).

As with frequent flyer programs and other types of incentive programs,typical goals of the casino frequent player program include increasingplayer loyalty, providing incentives to a player to visit the associatedcasinos as often as possible, and encouraging the player to spend asmuch money in the associated establishments as possible. To furtherimprove the effectiveness of player loyalty programs, there is a presentand recurring need for new methods to provide incentives to frequentplayer program members as well as attract new players.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, it is realized that such conventional systemsfor collecting player information are not sufficient for adequatelydetermining player worth. For instance, a new player who has nevervisited the gaming establishment will be “unknown” to the gamingestablishment, and any data provided by the player will be insufficientfor determining their value as a gambler. However, that person may bewell-known to other gaming establishments, and may have, depending ontheir behavior at such establishments, widely different player ratingsand profiles among the various establishments. That is, the individualactivities at each of the gaming establishments are insufficient fordetermining the actual worth of the player, as the actual worth of theplayer is determined by the overall assessment of his/her activities.Such an assessment is difficult to determine, as each gamingestablishment does not grant access to each other's data, and thus aholistic view of the play cannot be determined. In the case where thereare multiple locations for a casino to which a player may visit, andeach of these locations may have a separate view of activity that may becompiled into a total view for the establishment, such a total view isstill incomplete, as there are player activities that are beyond theview of the establishment.

It would be beneficial to have a system capable of collecting andstoring player performance data from multiple gaming establishments.Such information may be used, for example, to determine a value of aparticular player to a gaming establishment. According to one aspect, asystem is provided that collects player information from multiplesources such as gaming establishments, and creates a rating for a playerthat is more indicative of player value than information collected froma single source. For instance, player information such as ratings,demographics, play history and other player information may be collectedand stored by a player tracking or other type of system. The informationmay be stored in any type of storage (e.g., in a file system, in adatabase, in memory, etc.). Such a system establishes a holistic ratingfor the player that is more clearly indicative of player worth, as aresult of collecting information from multiple gaming establishments.

Such a system that collects player rating information from multiplegaming establishments (among other sources) is better than conventionalrating systems, as gaming establishments are limited to only theinformation that they have collected on a player. Thus, gamingestablishments have a limited view on a player, and thus do not makedecisions regarding the player optimally. For instance, for a playerthat plays very little at establishment X, but plays at establishment Y,the estimated worth of the player by establishment X will be lower thanthat of Y, and establishment X may be losing opportunities based ontheir limited view of the player. Thus, the system can identifyopportunities to consolidate play of the player.

Such a system increases accuracy in knowing number of visits per player,visit frequency, amount spent per visit, which is used to compute worth.For instance, recency (when was the last time the player visited?),frequency (how frequent does a player visit?), and intensity (how muchdoes the player spend?) or RFI may be used to determine value of aplayer. However, these parameters are affected substantially if aportion of a player's behavior is unknown. By knowing activity at othergaming establishments which may be different than the “limited” view ofa particular gaming establishment, the gaming establishment may moreaccurately rate the player, and perform actions accordingly (e.g., makean offer to the player that is better suited to his/her player rating).

Such a system may track player behavior among multiple establishments,establish a better view of the player, and make better marketingdecisions accordingly. For instance, the player plays craps atestablishment X, but does not play poker. However, the player playspoker at establishment Y at a particular level. Now, because a system isprovided that tracks behavior from multiple gaming establishments,establishment X may make an offer regarding poker based on behavior ofthe player at establishment Y, and that offer may interest the player.Such a system may be provided as a service (e.g., to a local tourismboard) as a method to increase cross-selling opportunities between anumber of establishments.

With some conventional information that could be obtained from gamingestablishments (e.g., as provided by the gaming establishment as aresult of subscribing to the gaming establishment's information), accessto player performance information may be limited to the frequent playerinfo, but info could not be tied to the player. That is, in some formsof information provided by casinos, the only information available togaming establishments is the frequent player identifier information, butnot the actual player identity, which is necessary to contact theplayer, make offers, etc. In one aspect, players are enticed to providetheir frequent player information and its association to their identitythat permits their identities to be identified with more than onefrequent player accounts and their associated performance information.

Also, because this information is collected and stored, the system mayhave the capability of functioning as a data clearing house forproprietary performance information from multiple gaming establishments.This information may be traded, sold, auctioned, and/or offered tomultiple entities to perform various functions such as direct marketing,financial analysis, player rating and/or monitoring functions, or otherfunctions.

Further, a system may collect other information regarding the player,and may provide the player information to other organizations. Not onlywould such information be useful for casinos, but other organizations aswell. Further, because the system is capable of providing a moreaccurate assessment of gamblers, the system may successfully correlateother types of information with player gambling tendencies. For example,upon analyzing the player database and holistic view of the players, itmay be determined (e.g., by survey or other methods) that Vodka drinkersconsistently make up the highest tiers of gamblers. Such information maybe used by the system to attract more and better gamblers, but thisinformation may also be sold to casinos for their own advertising andmarketing purposes.

Another aspect relates to scoring of players. In one embodiment, playersand potential players are scored based on a number of criteria, andtheir potential value to a gambling organization is determined based onthe criteria. Scores for known players are compared with the criteria ofunknown players for the purpose of evaluating them as potentialgamblers. Persons/players may be evaluated based on a number ofdifferent types of data, including, but not limited to demographic data,psychographic data, social and social graph data, self-reported dataprovided by the person/player, online activity, offline activity, casinoor other type of on-property activity, advertising response/actions,calls to or requests for action, and/or other information relating tothe person/player and his/her behavior. In one embodiment, a model ismaintained for the person/player and is updated as new informationrelating to the player is obtained.

Information relating to the player may be gathered from various sources,including casinos or other gambling organizations, data collectionorganizations, (e.g., TARGUSinfo), websites, online surveys, websitequestionnaires, opinion polls, or any other source of information. Oneor more referential data sets may be created that describe theperson/player, such as their behavior (e.g., online behavior, casinobehavior, offline spending behavior, etc.), demographic informationregarding the player, psychographic information, or any otherinformation relating to the person/player. Information stored in thesereferential data sets may be used by a system (e.g., a scoring system)to determine an overall score of a player/person. In one embodiment, thescore may determine the likelihood that the player/person will spend aparticular amount at a particular rate (e.g., by determining aperson/player's Average Daily Theoretical win (ADT)).

Different scores may also be determined for a player based on what typesof games the player/person may play. For instance, the player may havedifferent ratings for table games than slots, a different rating forroulette versus poker, etc. Such rating information that relates to gametype may be correlated to different subsets of player information. Forinstance, the fact that a player lives in a particular geographical areamay be indicative of the player playing a particular game.

According to another embodiment, predictive mechanisms may be used tooptimally determine the amount of player information to provide a scorefor a particular person/player. For instance, it is appreciated thatcertain player information is more highly indicative of a player'sestimated worth than other information. Thus, if there is anyinformation that can be collected from the player, the information thatis more highly indicative should be collected from the player first, asit is appreciated that players generally do not wish to share muchinformation about themselves, particularly in a gaming environment.According to one embodiment, more highly relevant questions are posed toa player in a sequence based in part on whether their answers are morehighly indicative of their worth.

Further, it is appreciated that it would be beneficial to provideaccurate scoring for potential players with little or no establishedgaming history. Player development is an extremely important aspect ofcasino marking. This is evident in the proliferation and use of playertracking and player management systems within the walls of the casino.As casino markets continue to become increasingly more competitive, itis important for a casino marketer to be able to gain an edge whenattempting to entice the new player to play at their establishment.

With many markets and verticals, the Internet has long been a great toolfor lead generation and customer acquisition. It can be appreciated,however, that a casino marketer faces uniquely different challenges thanother businesses, such as a plumber, when attempting to attract newbusiness into their establishment. A plumber may simply be looking toacquire leads that have leaky faucets. Casino marketers face anincreasingly competitive commodity business, where supply isoutstripping demand. That is why there is a strong need for a method andsystem that enables casino marketers to not only use the Internet as atool to gather leads, but also to predict the value of that lead as aplayer. More accurate up-front scoring can provide the marketer withadditional tools to increase conversions, such as better targetedadvertising and promotions. It also improves the marketer's ability tospend their marketing budget more efficiently, focusing on the playersthat score a higher potential, in the effort of producing a greaterreturn on investment.

Marketers already realize that Internet usage data can and should beused to derive a user's affinities. This data can be derived from whichwebsites are visited, which products are purchased online, which newsstory topics they most frequent, and which advertisements are viewed andclicked on most often. The duration and frequency of return engagementcan also be factored into this equation. It is this data, coupled withother external data, such as credit card purchase history, travelhistory, magazine subscription data, demographic data, psychographicdata and volunteered data that can be used as input into a system thatscores a player's potential value, before anything is known about theirinteraction on property. It should also be appreciated that this datacould also originate from a questionnaire or form, volunteered by theuser during a website visit, or a registration process.

Within the walls of the casino, the value of a player is commonlycalculated by evaluating play history and property engagement over time.Sometimes, but not always, a casino may refer to a players' value asAverage Daily Theoretical win, or ADT. There are other metrics that areused to measure value, but according to one embodiment, ADT is used tomeasure the value of a player. It should be appreciated that othermetrics can be used also, either alone or in combination with ADT.

Because there could be a large number of people/players tracked in asystem, it is appreciated that a system that measures people/playersworks with very large datasets. According to one embodiment, a method isprovided for determining data elements within a set of available datathat are good predictors of behavior. Ultimately, behavior equates tothe metrics used to measure player value when play history has beenestablished, such as ADT. In one embodiment, a system is provided thatdetermines the optimal predictors of certain behavior over time. Forinstance, such a system may collect information from people/players andfine tune, responsive to gathering of information over time, whichelements provide the best indication of value within specificdemographic and psychographic groups.

According to one aspect, a system is provided that determines the valueof a player. The system gathers information from a number of differentsources regarding known and unknown players. For instance, data may begathered regarding a player via forms, questionnaires, online behavior,other systems, or any other data source. Optionally, this collectedinformation may be linked to known metrics, such as credit score, orother rating information. These metrics may be associated withparticular elements, such as psychographic information or demographicinformation. In one implementation, a model may be created thatrepresents the player, the model having information that is collectedover time.

The collected information associated with the person/player may beprocessed by a scoring engine to produce a score for that player. In oneimplementation, analytical methods may be used such as predictiveanalytics functions to produce a predicted score for the person/player.Based on the computed score, a number of different actions may beperformed such as targeting particular players for direct mail or onlinemarketing, targeting offers to the player, providing the scoringinformation to other systems as a service, etc. Further, the scoringinformation may be used to improve the quality of data collection, aselements that are more highly indicative of player value may be posed tothe player in order of priority. Further, one or more predictive scoresmay be associated and stored with the model of the player.

Yet further embodiments relate to delivering players (e.g., patrons) toa system. It is a well established practice for gaming establishments tooffer gambling incentives to patrons or potential patrons. One goal ofthese incentives may be to motivate a patron or a potential patron tovisit a specific gaming establishment. Another goal may be to reward anexisting patron and engender customer loyalty. Yet another goal relatesto improving the customer experience.

Gaming establishments naturally want customers to have enjoyable visits.For new patrons, studies have shown that casino patrons who win morethan $100 on their first visit to a specific casino are 4 time morelikely to become loyal customers. Similarly, existing patrons whocontinue to have enjoyable visits at gaming establishments are morelikely to remain loyal to that specific establishment and will likelyhave higher visitation frequency.

Commonly, incentives are awarded as non-cashable credit (NCC) and maytake the form of specially marked chips, coupons, vouchers, player cardaccount credit or other forms that can be used with electronic gamingmachines (EGMs) or table games. Typically, the NCC does notdifferentiate between various EGMs or table games. In other words, theEGM NCC functions the same on all eligible EGM games, while the tablegame NCC functions the same on all eligible table games. The gamesthemselves function in the same whether patrons use NCC, cash, orcredit.

Because the gaming establishments have a strong incentive to promoteenjoyable visits, one aspect of the invention creates more intelligentincentives that increase the likelihood of an enjoyable patron visit oradvance some other goal of the gaming establishment. These incentivesmay be, for example, in the form of intelligent NCC or may take anyother form such as coupons, vouchers, player card account information,or other forms that is able to alter or control the gaming experience.

One embodiment of the invention uses customer profile information toaward incentives that create customized gaming experiences catered tothe known or predicted conscious or subconscious predispositions orpreferences of the patron. This customized experience serves to make theincentive more enticing to the patron, increasing the likelihood thatthe patron will use the incentive. It also makes it more likely that thepatron will have a positive gaming experience and an enjoyable visit,because the gaming experience will more closely fit the experiencesuited to that patron.

In general, aspects of the present invention relate to improved methodsfor attracting, scoring, and delivering players using a combination ofonline/offline methods in association with a distributed computer systemin the form of an ecosystem. Because higher-quality players (andpotential players) are identified, evaluated, and delivered by theecosystem in a more efficient manner, the return on players andinvestment towards those players by advertisers, lotteries, gamblingorganizations and other entities is improved.

According to another embodiment, a distributed computer system may alsofunction as a frequent player points clearing house where player'scredits or other points may be traded, sold, auctioned, or otherwisetransferred between entities. Players may be provided access andaccounts to the system, and in exchange for access to their proprietarydata, the system may provide other functions that encourage playerreturn, such as providing a capability to trade, sell, or otherwisetransfer frequent player points with other players, manage theirfrequent player accounts, receive offers from casinos and otherestablishments, solicit offers from establishments, and other functions.In one embodiment, a player grants access to their player accountinformation, and the system is configured to obtain and store suchinformation. Further, the system may be capable of collecting otheridentifying information for the player, such as where the player lives,his/her occupation, other demographic information which could be used asdata points by gaming establishments (or other entities) to extendoffers to players.

The system may also provide access to data for players that have no orlimited contact to the gaming establishment, increasing opportunity tomarket to potential new players, using player's information identifyinga propensity to gamble, along with their rating as gambler, and otherinformation. The system also provides a more focused avenue fordetermining potential players, thus optimizing their marketinginvestment. For example, a more structured mailing list of potentialgamblers can be created, rather than relying on other less-indicativeforms of data.

According to one embodiment, data could be obtained by the system byeither the gaming establishment providing the information (in exchangefor access to services provided by the system) and/or by “logging on” tofrequent player program tracking systems as the player, with theplayer's identity and password. It is appreciated that player “owns”their personal information, and for gaming establishments that do notwish to share their proprietary information, the player can grant accessto their personal information for the system. Data may be collected inreal time, and real-time decisions may be made regarding the player(e.g., the player was playing at casino A today, won/spent/played thismuch, send him/her a text message of an offer to come over to casino B(where casino A and casino B may be geographically located in the samearea, or are near to each other)). According to one embodiment, amonitoring system may be provided that permits the real-time monitoringof the player so that actions regarding the player may be performed.

In some cases, gaming establishments may not permit access to playerperformance information (as it is proprietary information), and it maybe beneficial to infer the player's performance. According to oneembodiment, it is realized that the player's rate of spending in aparticular gaming establishment may be inferred through a player'sfrequent player points. More particularly, as the rate of the player'sfrequent player points increases (or decreases as they are used by theplayer), the activity of the player can be inferred. For instance, ifthe player's frequent player points are increasing at a high rate, thatplay of that player may be correlated to a high spend rate. In thismanner, the system need not have access to proprietary performanceinformation to infer a player's spend rate.

In another implementation, entities may be encouraged to provide theirproprietary data. In one embodiment, access to raw performanceinformation from a particular gaming establishment may be prohibited,allaying privacy/competition concerns among those entities that own theinformation. More specifically, the holder of the player ratinginformation may be, according to one embodiment, a neutral entity thatdoes not provide unfettered access to the data, thus encouraging gamingestablishments to share their proprietary data. In one embodiment morefully discussed below, one or more rules may be used to determine accessto data.

Another aspect relates to a network that enables casino patrons tosolicit complimentary offers. In one embodiment, gaming establishments(among other entities) may subscribe to player rating information (e.g.,as provided by a player data collection system) and may use ratinginformation to determine an offer that is extended to player. Such amethod for determining an appropriate offer is better than conventionalrating systems, as gaming establishments are limited to only theinformation that they have collected on a player. According to oneembodiment, an offer could be based either on info provided by player,by offers created by gaming establishment, or combination of theinformation.

According to one embodiment, the system may permit more accurate offersto be extended to known players, as the system could track offersaccepted by the player (e.g., what will it take to get this player toaccept an offer?). By storing a historical record of packages taken/nottaken by known players, more informed decisions may be made with regardto what future offers should be made to the player.

Further, it is appreciated that such a method could be extended toidentify and attract unknown players. In particular, it is appreciatedthat offers extended to unknown players can be improved, especially forthose who have not established a play history at a particular gamingestablishment. In one embodiment, information may be collected by asystem for previously unknown players, and offers may be tailored tosuit such unknown players. Such a system may also provide more optionsfor the gambler, as gaming establishments that did not have priorhistories on players can now compete for their business. According toone aspect, it is appreciated that reaching the previously unknownplayer is one of the most valuable opportunities for gamingestablishments. Thus, gaming establishments may more effectively targetplayers that have not established a history.

According to another aspect, an online method is provided for players totrack frequent player information from multiple gaming establishments(or other entities). Players are enticed by a tracking feature toprovide their information that permits their identities to be correlatedwith frequent player accounts and its associated performanceinformation. In one embodiment, a player is permitted to trade pointsbetween establishments, operating as clearing house for player points.Point programs may be any type (e.g., casino, hotel, airline, etc.) andmay allow the player to trade between programs. Also, point programs maybe created for gaming machine vendors, software program vendors, etc.,thus permitting the view of the player and the functions that can beperformed by the player with point programs to be more complete.

In another embodiment, gaming establishments are permitted to advertiseon the system, enticing them to have more focused advertising access toplayers that have propensity and capability for gambling, and furtherencouragement to share proprietary information. Advertising displayed tothe player may be based at least in part on the identity of the player.Also, the player is encouraged to “check their points” and seepromotions that are available, increasing the likelihood that theadvertising reach is increased.

In yet another embodiment, it is appreciated that social networks havebecome commonplace on the Internet, and it is desirable to permit gamingestablishments to reach players that use such networks. In particular,as social networks increase in popularity, they not only continue toattract a more youthful age group, but they are used increasingly bypeople that are more mature in age. With the advent of social networksbeing used by such people, there is an increasingly greater opportunityfor gaming establishments such as lotteries and casinos to market totheir target audience, using such social networks.

According to one embodiment, as a member of a social network, a socialnetwork user is permitted to place content on their page that enableentry in one or more sweepstakes. According to one embodiment, the useris permitted to select one or more potentially available sweepstakes inwhich to participate. In one implementation, the content placed on theuser's page uses a number of social network parameters to accrue entriesin sweepstakes. For instance, how active the person is in their socialnetwork may affect how quickly the person accrues entries. In anotherembodiment, a member of a social network is permitted to accrue loyaltypoints (e.g., frequent player program points) rather than sweepstakesentries. In one embodiment, activity within the member's social networkdetermines how quickly loyalty program points are accrued.

In addition to being marketing opportunities, according to one aspect,social networks can also be used as a tool to collect additionalbehavioral, preference, demographic, or other data that can be used tobuild the player profile and build a more complete model of the player.For example, social networks can be used as a platform for polls andquestionnaires. Player behavior, such as online games played and timespent playing specific games can also be used to build a more accuratemodel of the player and make predictions about their value, preferences,and future behavior.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-implementedmethod for collecting player information is provided, comprising acts ofreceiving performance information relating to at least one player from aplurality of independent organizations; determining a rating of the atleast one player based at least in part on the received performanceinformation; and extending an offer to the player based on thedetermined rating. According to one embodiment, the performanceinformation is received from the plurality of independent organizationsby accessing a frequent player account associated with at least one ofthe plurality of independent organizations.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting demographic information related to the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of collectingbehavioral information related to the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of collecting dataregarding online activity of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of collecting dataregarding offline activity of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of collecting datadirectly from the player.

According to another embodiment, the performance information includesfrequent player account information, and wherein the act of determininga rating of the player further comprises acts of determining a rate ofchange in frequent player account points awarded to the player; anddetermining the rating based on the determined rate of change. Accordingto another embodiment, the performance information includes win/lossstatement information, and wherein the act of determining a rating ofthe player further comprises acts of determining an overall win/lossperformance based on a plurality of win/loss statements collected fromthe plurality of independent organizations; and determining the ratingbased on the determined overall win/loss performance. According toanother embodiment, the rate of change in frequent player account pointsis determined to be indicative of a rate of play by the player.According to another embodiment, the performance information includesloyalty account information, and wherein the method further comprises anact of receiving loyalty account information from one or more loyaltyaccount systems.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is provided thatcomprises computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for collecting player information in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of receivingperformance information relating to at least one player from a pluralityof independent organizations; determining a rating of the at least oneplayer based at least in part on the received performance information;and extending an offer to the player based on the determined rating.According to one embodiment, the performance information is receivedfrom the plurality of independent organizations by accessing a frequentplayer account associated with at least one of the plurality ofindependent organizations.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting demographic information related to the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of collectingbehavioral information related to the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of collecting dataregarding online activity of the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting data regarding offline activity of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of collectingdata directly from the player. According to another embodiment, theperformance information includes frequent player account information,and wherein the act of determining a rating of the player furthercomprises acts of determining a rate of change in frequent playeraccount points awarded to the player; and determining the rating basedon the determined rate of change.

According to another embodiment, the performance information includeswin/loss statement information, and wherein the act of determining arating of the player further comprises acts of determining an overallwin/loss performance based on a plurality of win/loss statementscollected from the plurality of independent organizations; anddetermining the rating based on the determined overall win/lossperformance. According to another embodiment, the rate of change infrequent player account points is determined to be indicative of a rateof play by the player.

According to another aspect, a computer system is provided comprising acomponent adapted to receive performance information at least one playerfrom a plurality of independent organizations, a component adapted todetermine a rating of the at least one player based at least in part onthe received performance information, and a component adapted to extendan offer to the player based on the determined rating. According toanother embodiment, the performance information is received from theplurality of independent organizations by accessing a frequent playeraccount associated with at least one of the plurality of independentorganizations.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect demographic information related to theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect behavioral information related to theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect data regarding online activity of theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect data regarding offline activity of theplayer.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect data directly from the player. According toanother embodiment, the performance information includes frequent playeraccount information, and wherein the component adapted to determine arating of the player further comprises a component adapted to determinea rate of change in frequent player account points awarded to theplayer; and a component adapted to determine the rating based on thedetermined rate of change. According to another embodiment, theperformance information includes win/loss statement information, andwherein the component adapted to determining a rating of the playerfurther comprises a component adapted to determine an overall win/lossperformance based on a plurality of win/loss statements collected fromthe plurality of independent organizations; and a component adapted todetermine the rating based on the determined overall win/lossperformance. According to another embodiment, the rate of change infrequent player account points is determined to be indicative of a rateof play by the player.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented system forcollecting player information is provided, the system comprising acollector adapted to collect information relating to a plurality offrequent player accounts associated with a player, and a databaseadapted to store the collected information. According to anotherembodiment, the system further comprises a processor adapted todetermine a rating of the player based on the information relating tothe plurality of frequent player accounts associated with the player.

According to another embodiment, the plurality of frequent playeraccounts are player accounts related to a respective plurality of gamingestablishments. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises a component configured to execute a trading of frequent playerpoints between a plurality of players. According to another embodiment,the collector further comprises a component that is adapted to log ontoat least one of the plurality of frequent player accounts associatedwith the player to obtain the information.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent that permits the player to manage points associated with theat least one of the plurality of frequent player accounts associatedwith the player. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises an interface adapted to display, to the player, the collectedinformation relating to a plurality of frequent player accountsassociated with the player. According to another embodiment, the systemfurther comprises a component configured to purchase, on behalf of theplayer, frequent player points from one of a plurality of frequentplayer programs. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises a component configured to sell, on behalf of the player,frequent player points from one of a plurality of frequent playerprograms.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method forcollecting player information is provided, the system comprising acts ofcollecting information relating to a plurality of frequent playeraccounts associated with a player; and storing, in a database, thecollected information. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of determining a rating of the player based onthe information relating to the plurality of frequent player accountsassociated with the player. According to another embodiment, theplurality of frequent player accounts are player accounts related to arespective plurality of gaming establishments.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofexecuting a trading of frequent player points between a plurality ofplayers. According to another embodiment, the act of collecting furthercomprises an act of logging onto at least one of the plurality offrequent player accounts associated with the player to obtain theinformation. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of permitting the player to manage points associatedwith the at least one of the plurality of frequent player accountsassociated with the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdisplaying, to the player, the collected information relating to aplurality of frequent player accounts associated with the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofpurchasing, on behalf of the player, frequent player points from one ofa plurality of frequent player programs. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of selling, on behalf ofthe player, frequent player points from one of a plurality of frequentplayer programs.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for collecting player information in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of collectinginformation relating to a plurality of frequent player accountsassociated with a player; and storing, in a database, the collectedinformation. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of determining a rating of the player based on theinformation relating to the plurality of frequent player accountsassociated with the player.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method for receivinga complimentary offer, comprising acts of providing access to a player,to an interface that accepts criteria related to a complimentary offerdesired by a player, receiving, by a plurality of organizations, aplurality of complimentary offers based on the accepted criteria, andpermitting the player to select at least one of the plurality ofcomplimentary offers. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of receiving performance information relatingto at least one player from a plurality of independent organizations.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a rating of the player and determining at least one of theplurality of complimentary offers based on the determined rating of theplayer.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a rating of the player responsive to player performanceinformation collected from a plurality of independent organizations.According to another embodiment, the player performance informationcollected from a plurality of independent organizations is collected viaa plurality of frequent player accounts. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of storing at least oneaccepted offer by the player, and determining at least one of thecomplimentary offers based on the at least one accepted offer.

According to another embodiment, the criteria includes at least one of agroup comprising a price of a complimentary offer; a location of thecomplimentary offer; a date of the complimentary offer; and aproposition to spend a predetermined amount in a gambling locationassociated with the complimentary offer. According to anotherembodiment, the act of receiving, further comprises receiving from theplurality of organizations, a plurality of predetermined complimentaryoffers. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of determining, based on the accepted criteria and from a pluralityof available predetermined complimentary offers, a complimentary offerprovided to the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmonitoring an inventory of available predetermined complimentary offers,and providing complimentary offers from the monitored inventory.According to another embodiment, the complimentary offer is provided inreal time after the accepted criteria is provided by the player.According to another embodiment, the complimentary offer is providedresponsive to a receipt of the accepted criteria.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesdetermining a rating of the player, and wherein the plurality ofcomplimentary offers that are offered to the player are determined basedon the rating of the player. According to another embodiment, the ratingcomprises a score that indicates a capacity of the player to spendmoney.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for receiving a complimentary offer in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of providingaccess to a player, to an interface that accepts criteria related to acomplimentary offer desired by a player, receiving, by a plurality oforganizations, a plurality of complimentary offers based on the acceptedcriteria; and permitting the player to select at least one of theplurality of complimentary offers. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of receiving performance informationrelating to at least one player from a plurality of independentorganizations.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a rating of the player and determining at least one of theplurality of complimentary offers based on the determined rating of theplayer. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of determining a rating of the player responsive to playerperformance information collected from a plurality of independentorganizations. According to another embodiment, the player performanceinformation collected from a plurality of independent organizations iscollected via a plurality of frequent player accounts.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofstoring at least one accepted offer by the player, and determining atleast one of the complimentary offers based on the at least one acceptedoffer. According to another embodiment, the criteria includes at leastone of a group comprising a price of a complimentary offer; a locationof the complimentary offer; a date of the complimentary offer; and aproposition to spend a predetermined amount in a gambling locationassociated with the complimentary offer. According to anotherembodiment, the act of receiving, further comprises receiving from theplurality of organizations, a plurality of predetermined complimentaryoffers.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining, based on the accepted criteria and from a plurality ofavailable predetermined complimentary offers, a complimentary offerprovided to the player. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of monitoring an inventory of availablepredetermined complimentary offers, and providing complimentary offersfrom the monitored inventory.

According to another embodiment, the complimentary offer is provided inreal time after the accepted criteria is provided by the player.According to another embodiment, the complimentary offer is providedresponsive to a receipt of the accepted criteria. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises determining a rating of theplayer, and wherein the plurality of complimentary offers that areoffered to the player are determined based on the rating of the player.According to another embodiment, the rating comprises a score thatindicates a capacity of the player to spend money.

According to another aspect, a distributed computer system is providedfor receiving a complimentary offer, the system comprising an interfacethat is adapted to accept, from a player, criteria related to acomplimentary offer desired by the player, a component adapted toreceive, by a plurality of organizations, a plurality of complimentaryoffers based on the accepted criteria, and a component that is adaptedto permit the player to select at least one of the plurality ofcomplimentary offers. According to another embodiment, the systemfurther comprises a component adapted to receive performance informationat least one player from a plurality of independent organizations.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to determine a rating of the player and to determineat least one of the plurality of complimentary offers based on thedetermined rating of the player.

According to another aspect, a system is provided for managing data in acomputer-based environment, the system comprising a customer-facingcomponent that collects player information, a casino-facing componentthat collects casino information, and a rule-based component thatdetermines access to the player information and the casino information.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent that determines an offer to at least one player, the offerbeing fulfilled by at least one casino, the offer being based at leastin part on the collected player information. According to anotherembodiment, the offer is determined responsive to a component thatreceives criteria from the at least one player regarding a desiredoffer.

According to another embodiment, the offer is presented to the at leastone player in response to the determination of the offer. According toanother embodiment, the system further comprises a database that storedthe player information and the casino information. According to anotherembodiment, the system further comprises an application programminginterface (API) adapted to provide at least one data service to at leastone information consumer. According to another embodiment, the at leastone information consumer includes a casino, and wherein the data serviceprovides the collected player information.

According to another embodiment, the at least one information consumerincludes at least one player, and wherein the data service providescollected casino information. According to another embodiment, thecollected casino information includes at least one promotional offer.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent that collects player information from one or more public andprivate data sources. According to another embodiment, thecustomer-facing component includes at least one website that collectsthe player information.

According to another embodiment, the website provides access to frequentplayer information of at least one player in exchange for providingaccess to player information relating to the at least one player.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent that is adapted to correlate frequent player information to anidentity of at least one player. According to another embodiment, thesystem further comprises an advertising component adapted to determinean ad displayed to at least one player responsive to the collectedplayer information. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises a component adapted to correlate frequent player informationfrom multiple frequent player programs with the identity of the at leastone player. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises an advertising network wherein advertising messages aretargeted to players based on the player information collected by thesystem.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method is providedfor managing data in a distributed computer system, the systemcomprising acts of collecting, by a customer-facing component, playerinformation, collecting, by a casino-facing component, casinoinformation, and determining, by a rule-based component, access to theplayer information and the casino information. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises acts of determining an offer toat least one player, the offer being fulfilled by at least one casino,the offer being based at least in part on the collected playerinformation. According to another embodiment, the offer is determinedresponsive to a component that receives criteria from the at least oneplayer regarding a desired offer.

According to another embodiment, the offer is presented to the at leastone player in response to the determination of the offer. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises storing, in a database,the player information and the casino information. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of providing anapplication programming interface (API) that presents at least one dataservice to at least one information consumer.

According to another embodiment, the at least one information consumerincludes a casino, and wherein the data service provides the collectedplayer information. According to another embodiment, the at least oneinformation consumer includes at least one player, and wherein the dataservice provides collected casino information. According to anotherembodiment, the collected casino information includes at least onepromotional offer.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting player information from one or more public and private datasources. According to another embodiment, the customer-facing componentincludes at least one website that collects the player information.According to another embodiment, the website provides access to frequentplayer information of at least one player in exchange for providingaccess to player information relating to the at least one player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcorrelating frequent player information to an identity of at least oneplayer.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining, by an advertising component, an ad displayed to at leastone player responsive to the collected player information. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of correlatingfrequent player information from multiple frequent player programs withthe identity of the at least one player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of targeting, by anadvertising network, advertising messages to players based on the playerinformation collected by the system.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for collecting player information in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of collecting,by a customer-facing component, player information, collecting, by acasino-facing component, casino information, and determining, by arule-based component, access to the player information and the casinoinformation. According to one embodiment, the method further comprisesacts of determining an offer to at least one player, the offer beingfulfilled by at least one casino, the offer being based at least in parton the collected player information.

According to another embodiment, the offer is determined responsive to acomponent that receives criteria from the at least one player regardinga desired offer. According to another embodiment, the offer is presentedto the at least one player in response to the determination of theoffer. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesstoring, in a database, the player information and the casinoinformation.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method is providedfor evaluating a player, the method comprising acts of determining amodel of a desired player based on a plurality of model parameters,obtaining a plurality of information relating to a plurality ofpotential unknown players, scoring the plurality of potential unknownplayers in relation to the model of the desired player, determining oneor more desired players from the plurality of potential unknown playersbased on their respective scores, and performing an action with respectto the determined one or more desired players.

According to another embodiment, the act of obtaining further comprisesan act of collecting frequent player account information from aplurality of independent organizations. According to another embodiment,the act of obtaining further comprises an act of collecting informationrelating to the plurality of potential unknown players from a pluralityof public data sources. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises selecting, from a plurality of availableadvertisements, an advertisement for display to the determined one ormore desired players, and wherein the act of performing an actioncomprises an act of displaying the selected advertisement to at leastone of the one or more desired players.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises selecting,from a plurality of available complimentary offers, a complimentaryoffer to be presented to the determined one or more desired players, andwherein the act of performing an action comprises an act of displayingthe complimentary offer to at least one of the one or more desiredplayers. According to another embodiment, the selected advertisement tobe displayed to the player is determined according to at least one ofpredicted affinities, predispositions, and preferences of the player.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method is providedfor evaluating a player, the method comprising acts of receivingfrequent player account information for a player, identifying the playerby the frequent player account information, collecting data from one ormore independent organizations, and determining a worth of the playerbased on performance information associated with the frequent playeraccount information and the collected data. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining anadvertisement to be displayed to the player base on the performanceinformation and the collected data.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining an advertisement to be displayed to the player in responseto the determined worth of the player. According to another embodiment,the method further comprises an act of determining an advertisement tobe displayed to the player according to at least one of predictedaffinities, predispositions, and preferences of the player.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for evaluating a player in a distributedcomputer system, the method comprising acts of determining a model of adesired player based on a plurality of model parameters, obtaining aplurality of information relating to a plurality of potential unknownplayers, scoring the plurality of potential unknown players in relationto the model of the desired player, determining one or more desiredplayers from the plurality of potential unknown players based on theirrespective scores, and performing an action with respect to thedetermined one or more desired players. According to another embodiment,the act of obtaining further comprises an act of collecting frequentplayer account information from a plurality of independentorganizations.

According to another embodiment, the act of obtaining further comprisesan act of collecting information relating to the plurality of potentialunknown players from a plurality of public data sources. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises selecting, from aplurality of available advertisements, an advertisement for display tothe determined one or more desired players, and wherein the act ofperforming an action comprises an act of displaying the selectedadvertisement to at least one of the one or more desired players.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises selecting,from a plurality of available complimentary offers, a complimentaryoffer to be presented to the determined one or more desired players, andwherein the act of performing an action comprises an act of displayingthe complimentary offer to at least one of the one or more desiredplayers. According to another embodiment, the selected advertisement tobe displayed to the player is determined according to at least one ofpredicted affinities, predispositions, and preferences of the player.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a computerreadable medium is provided comprising computer-executable instructionsthat when executed on a processor performs a method for evaluating aplayer in a distributed computer system, the method comprising acts ofreceiving frequent player account information for a player, identifyingthe player by the frequent player account information, collecting datafrom one or more independent organizations, and determining a worth ofthe player based on performance information associated with the frequentplayer account information and the collected data.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining an advertisement to be displayed to the player base on theperformance information and the collected data. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining anadvertisement to be displayed to the player in response to thedetermined worth of the player. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of determining an advertisement to bedisplayed to the player according to at least one of predictedaffinities, predispositions, and preferences of the player.

According to another aspect, a computer-implemented method forinteracting with a player comprising acts of determining a qualificationof a player; providing a game to be played by the player; monitoringplay of the game by the player; and in response to the player playingthe game and the act of monitoring, providing an award to the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofsponsoring the award by a gambling organization.

According to another embodiment, the act of sponsoring relates to alocation of the player. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of determining a rating of the play of theplayer responsive to the act of monitoring. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining at leastone of a group comprising affinities, predispositions, and preferencesof the player, the act of determining at least one of the group beingresponsive to the act of monitoring.

According to another embodiment, the game includes at least one of thegroup comprising a skill-based game; a game of chance; a game having apredetermined outcome; and a game having an outcome determined afterentry into the game is made. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of sponsoring, by a gambling organization, anentry of the player into the game. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of sponsoring, by a gamblingorganization, a particular prize awarded in the game. According toanother embodiment, the entry of the player in the game is typicallypaid for by the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining an award based on at least one of a group comprising anaffinity, a predisposition, and a preference of the player, a locationof the player, an a determined score of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the score of the player measures a capacity of the player tospend money.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for interacting with a player in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of determining aqualification of a player; providing a game to be played by the player;monitoring play of the game by the player; and in response to the playerplaying the game and the act of monitoring, providing an award to theplayer.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofsponsoring the award by a gambling organization. According to anotherembodiment, the act of sponsoring relates to a location of the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a rating of the play of the player responsive to the act ofmonitoring. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of determining at least one of a group comprisingaffinities, predispositions, and preferences of the player, the act ofdetermining at least one of the group being responsive to the act ofmonitoring.

According to another embodiment, the game includes at least one of thegroup comprising a skill-based game; a game of chance; a game having apredetermined outcome; and a game having an outcome determined afterentry into the game is made. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of sponsoring, by a gambling organization, anentry of the player into the game. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of sponsoring, by a gamblingorganization, a particular prize awarded in the game.

According to another embodiment, the entry of the player in the game istypically paid for by the player. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of determining an award based on atleast one of a group comprising an affinity, a predisposition, and apreference of the player, a location of the player, an a determinedscore of the player. According to another embodiment, the score of theplayer measures a capacity of the player to spend money.

According to another aspect, a distributed computer system is providedthat interacts with a player, the system comprising a component adaptedto determine a qualification of a player; a component adapted to providea game to be played by the player; a component adapted to monitor playof the game by the player; and a component, responsive to the playerplaying the game and the component adapted to monitor play, adapted toprovide an award to the player. According to another embodiment, thesystem further comprises a component adapted to sponsor the award by agambling organization.

According to another embodiment, the component adapted to sponsor theaward is responsive to a location of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the system further comprises a component adapted todetermine a rating of the play of the player responsive to themonitoring component. According to another embodiment, the systemfurther comprises a component adapted to determine at least one of agroup comprising affinities, predispositions, and preferences of theplayer, the component adapted to determine the at least one of the groupbeing responsive to the monitoring component.

According to another aspect, in a distributed computer system, a methodfor processing player information, the method comprising acts ofcollecting, by a plurality of computer systems in the distributedcomputer system, a plurality of data elements relating to a player;processing the plurality of data elements relating to the player;determining at least one score responsive to the act of processing; andresponsive to determining the at least one score, performing an actionwith respect to the player. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of maintaining a predictive model of theplayer, and determining the at least one score based on the predictivemodel.

According to another embodiment, the at least one score is a measure ofa player's capacity to spend money. According to another embodiment, theat least one score measures at least one of a group comprising acapacity of the player to gamble; a lifetime value of the player; apropensity of the player to gamble; a volatility tolerance of theplayer; a pace of play by the player; an affinity of the player; apredisposition of the player; and a preference of the player.

According to another embodiment, the act of collecting comprisescollecting at least one of a group of information comprising onlinebehavior of the player; offline behavior of the player; demographicdata; psychographic data; social graph data; self-reported data;advertising response data; requests for action by the player; andresponse data relating to an action performed with respect to theplayer. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of selectively providing access to the score to one or more thirdparties.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding a scoring service to interested third party informationconsumers. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesan act of accepting, from at least one third party, a third party scoreof the player and selectively providing the third party score to anotherthird party. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of collecting information relating to a frequent playeraccount of the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a model of the player in a memory of a distributed computersystem. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of maintaining the model of the player over time. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of improving themodel based on additional information collected regarding the player.

According to another embodiment, the player is previously unknown to thedistributed computing system. According to another embodiment, the actof collecting is performed in real-time. According to anotherembodiment, the act of performing an action with respect to the playercomprises providing a complimentary offer to the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmaintaining a record of complimentary offers made to the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmonitoring the player over time by tracking the player score. Accordingto another embodiment, the method further comprises providing, for anorganization that provides the complimentary offers, an interface thatpermits the organization to manage administration of the complimentaryoffers.

According to another embodiment, the interface permits the organizationto track complimentary offers made to the player. According to anotherembodiment, the interface provides at least one of a group of functionscomprising determining overlap in time for incentives offered to theplayer; tracking redemption of incentives offered to the player;calculating an amount of layering in an incentive campaign; anddetermining a value in an amount of layering.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises acts ofdetermining at least one of a group comprising a score, an affinity, apredisposition, and a preference of the player responsive to the act ofprocessing; and responsive to determining the at least one of the groupcomprising the score, the affinity, the predisposition, and thepreference, performing an action with respect to the player.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for processing player information in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of collecting,by a plurality of computer systems in the distributed computer system, aplurality of data elements relating to a player; processing theplurality of data elements relating to the player; determining at leastone score responsive to the act of processing; and responsive todetermining the at least one score, performing an action with respect tothe player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmaintaining a predictive model of the player, and determining the atleast one score based on the predictive model. According to anotherembodiment, the at least one score is a measure of a player's capacityto spend money. According to another embodiment, the at least one scoremeasures at least one of a group comprising a capacity of the player togamble; a lifetime value of the player; a propensity of the player togamble; a volatility tolerance of the player; a pace of play by theplayer; an affinity of the player; a predisposition of the player; and apreference of the player.

According to another embodiment, the act of collecting comprisescollecting at least one of a group of information comprising onlinebehavior of the player; offline behavior of the player; demographicdata; psychographic data; social graph data; self-reported data;advertising response data; requests for action by the player; andresponse data relating to an action performed with respect to theplayer. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of selectively providing access to the score to one or more thirdparties.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding a scoring service to interested third party informationconsumers. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesan act of accepting, from at least one third party, a third party scoreof the player and selectively providing the third party score to anotherthird party. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of collecting information relating to a frequent playeraccount of the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcreating a model of the player in a memory of a distributed computersystem. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of maintaining the model of the player over time. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of improving themodel based on additional information collected regarding the player.

According to another embodiment, the player is previously unknown to thedistributed computing system. According to another embodiment, the actof collecting is performed in real-time. According to anotherembodiment, the act of performing an action with respect to the playercomprises providing a complimentary offer to the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmaintaining a record of complimentary offers made to the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmonitoring the player over time by tracking the player score. Accordingto another embodiment, the method further comprises providing, for anorganization that provides the complimentary offers, an interface thatpermits the organization to manage administration of the complimentaryoffers.

According to another embodiment, the interface permits the organizationto track complimentary offers made to the player. According to anotherembodiment, the interface provides at least one of a group of functionscomprising determining overlap in time for incentives offered to theplayer; tracking redemption of incentives offered to the player;calculating an amount of layering in an incentive campaign; anddetermining a value in an amount of layering.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises acts ofdetermining at least one of a group comprising a score, an affinity, apredisposition, and a preference of the player responsive to the act ofprocessing; and responsive to determining the at least one of the groupcomprising the score, the affinity, the predisposition, and thepreference, performing an action with respect to the player.

According to another aspect, in a distributed computer system, a methodfor processing player information, the method comprising acts ofcollecting, by a plurality of computer systems in the distributedcomputer system, a plurality of data elements relating to a plurality ofplayers; responsive to the act of collecting, selectively administeringa plurality of incentive programs to at least one player of theplurality of players using the distributed computer system; monitoringredemption of the plurality of incentive programs by the at least oneplayer of the plurality of players; and automatically adjustingadministration of additional programs through the distributed computersystem responsive to the act of monitoring.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmonitoring, for the at least one player, performance of administeredincentive programs to the at least one player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining a valueof layering the plurality of incentive programs to the at least oneplayer. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of determining an effectiveness of layering the plurality ofincentives programs to the at least one player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding an interface that permits a user to monitor informationrelating to the plurality of incentives programs administered to the atleast one player. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of optimizing a value of incentives offered to the atleast one player based on an estimated worth of the at least one player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act oftracking a history of behavior of the at least one player with respectto incentives programs administered to the at least one player andmodifying further incentives based on the tracked history of behavior.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a value of the at least one player. According to anotherembodiment, the act of determining a value includes determining anaverage spend rate of the at least one player of the plurality ofplayers. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesan act of maintaining behavior information relating to incentivesadministered to the at least one player in a profile associated with theat least one player.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for processing player information in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of collecting,by a plurality of computer systems in the distributed computer system, aplurality of data elements relating to a plurality of players;responsive to the act of collecting, selectively administering aplurality of incentive programs to at least one player of the pluralityof players using the distributed computer system; monitoring redemptionof the plurality of incentive programs by the at least one player of theplurality of players; and automatically adjusting administration ofadditional programs through the distributed computer system responsiveto the act of monitoring.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmonitoring, for the at least one player, performance of administeredincentive programs to the at least one player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining a valueof layering the plurality of incentive programs to the at least oneplayer. According to another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of determining an effectiveness of layering the plurality ofincentives programs to the at least one player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding an interface that permits a user to monitor informationrelating to the plurality of incentives programs administered to the atleast one player. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of optimizing a value of incentives offered to the atleast one player based on an estimated worth of the at least one player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act oftracking a history of behavior of the at least one player with respectto incentives programs administered to the at least one player andmodifying further incentives based on the tracked history of behavior.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a value of the at least one player. According to anotherembodiment, the act of determining a value includes determining anaverage spend rate of the at least one player of the plurality ofplayers. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesan act of maintaining behavior information relating to incentivesadministered to the at least one player in a profile associated with theat least one player.

According to another aspect, a distributed computer system is providedfor processing player information, the system comprising one or morecomponents adapted to collect, by a plurality of computer systems in thedistributed computer system, a plurality of data elements relating to aplurality of players; a component, responsive to the collectioncomponent, adapted to selectively administer a plurality of incentiveprograms to at least one player of the plurality of players; a componentadapted to monitor redemption of the plurality of incentive programs bythe at least one player of the plurality of players; and a componentadapted to automatically adjust administration of additional programsthrough the distributed computer system responsive to the monitoringcomponent.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to monitor, for the at least one player, performanceof administered incentive programs to the at least one player. Accordingto another embodiment, the system further comprises a component adaptedto determine a value of layering the plurality of incentive programs tothe at least one player. According to another embodiment, the systemfurther comprises a component adapted to determine an effectiveness oflayering the plurality of incentives programs to the at least oneplayer.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises aninterface that permits a user to monitor information relating to theplurality of incentives programs administered to the at least oneplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to optimize a value of incentives offered to the atleast one player based on an estimated worth of the at least one player.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to track a history of behavior of the at least oneplayer with respect to incentives programs administered to the at leastone player and modify further incentives based on the tracked history ofbehavior.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to determine a value of the at least one player.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to determine an average spend rate of the at least oneplayer of the plurality of players. According to another embodiment, thesystem further comprises a component adapted to maintain behaviorinformation relating to incentives administered to the at least oneplayer in a profile associated with the at least one player.

According to another aspect, in a distributed computer system, a methodis provided for collecting and processing player information, the methodcomprising acts of: collecting, by a plurality of computer systems inthe distributed computer system, a plurality of data elements relatingto a plurality of players; determining relevancy of each of theplurality of data items to a score of a player; determining a priorityof data items based on their respective relevancy; and presenting aplurality of data collection opportunities to the player responsive tothe determined priority of data items.

According to another embodiment, the plurality of data collectionopportunities include at least one of the group comprising a quiz; aquestionnaire; and a test. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of correlating a relevancy of at least one ofthe plurality of data items to the score of the player. According toanother embodiment, the score of the player represents a spend value ofthe player.

According to another embodiment, the data collection opportunities arepresented via an ecosystem that interacts with the player through one ormore computer-based interfaces. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of identifying the player uniquely inthe distributed computer system. According to another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of storing, associated with a profile ofthe player, one or more of the plurality of data elements relating tothe player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofpresenting, to the player in an interface of a computer system, theplurality of data collection opportunities. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of saving the pluralityof data elements relating to a plurality of players in a referencedatabase. According to another embodiment, the method further comprisesan act of determining a series of data elements to collect from theplayer based on their relevancy to the score of the player.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for collecting and processing playerinformation in a distributed computer system, the method comprising actsof collecting, by a plurality of computer systems in the distributedcomputer system, a plurality of data elements relating to a plurality ofplayers; determining relevancy of each of the plurality of data items toa score of a player; determining a priority of data items based on theirrespective relevancy; and presenting a plurality of data collectionopportunities to the player responsive to the determined priority ofdata items.

According to another embodiment, the plurality of data collectionopportunities include at least one of the group comprising a quiz; aquestionnaire; and a test. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of correlating a relevancy of at least one ofthe plurality of data items to the score of the player. According toanother embodiment, the score of the player represents a spend value ofthe player. According to another embodiment, the data collectionopportunities are presented via an ecosystem that interacts with theplayer through one or more computer-based interfaces.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofidentifying the player uniquely in the distributed computer system.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofstoring, associated with a profile of the player, one or more of theplurality of data elements relating to the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of presenting, to theplayer in an interface of a computer system, the plurality of datacollection opportunities.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofsaving the plurality of data elements relating to a plurality of playersin a reference database. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of determining a series of data elements tocollect from the player based on their relevancy to the score of theplayer.

According to another aspect, a system is provided for collecting andprocessing player information, the system comprising one or morecomponents adapted to collect, by a plurality of computer systems in thedistributed computer system, a plurality of data elements relating to aplurality of players; a component adapted to determine relevancy of eachof the plurality of data items to a score of a player; a componentadapted to determine a priority of data items based on their respectiverelevancy; and a component adapted to present a plurality of datacollection opportunities to the player responsive to the determinedpriority of data items.

According to another embodiment, the plurality of data collectionopportunities include at least one of the group comprising a quiz; aquestionnaire; and a test. According to another embodiment, the systemfurther comprises a component adapted to correlate a relevancy of atleast one of the plurality of data items to the score of the player.According to another embodiment, the score of the player represents aspend value of the player.

According to another embodiment, the data collection opportunities arepresented via an ecosystem that interacts with the player through one ormore computer-based interfaces. According to another embodiment, thesystem further comprises a component adapted to identify the playeruniquely in the distributed computer system. According to anotherembodiment, the system further comprises a component adapted to store,associated with a profile of the player, one or more of the plurality ofdata elements relating to the player.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to present, to the player in an interface of acomputer system, the plurality of data collection opportunities.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to save the plurality of data elements relating to aplurality of players in a reference database. According to anotherembodiment, the system further comprises a component adapted todetermine a series of data elements to collect from the player based ontheir relevancy to the score of the player.

According to another aspect, in a distributed computer system includinga social network, a method is provided for administering a socialnetwork, the method comprising acts of providing a component that isselectively associated with a member's social networking content; andbased on one or more actions performed with respect to the component,providing at least one of a game and an award to the member. Accordingto another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of permittinganother member to perform an act with respect to the component, andresponsive to the act, providing at least one of an entry to a game andan award to the member.

According to another embodiment, the award includes loyalty pointsawarded to a loyalty program account of the member. According to anotherembodiment, the component includes a widget that is placed by the memberon a member page accessible through the social network. According toanother embodiment, the game includes a sweepstakes.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofawarding the member one or more entries into the sweepstakes responsiveto the one or more actions performed with respect to the component.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding at least one of a game and an award to the member responsiveto another member including the component on the another member's pageaccessible through the social network.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding at least one of a game and an award to the member responsiveto a determination of a quality level of a social network of the member.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofpresenting an interface to the member that indicates informationregarding the sweepstakes. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of presenting an interface that permits anadministrator of the game and the award to manage an administration ofthe game and the award.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for administering a social network in adistributed computer system, the method comprising acts of providing acomponent that is selectively associated with a member's socialnetworking content; and based on one or more actions performed withrespect to the component, providing at least one of a game and an awardto the member. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of permitting another member to perform an act withrespect to the component, and responsive to the act, providing at leastone of an entry to a game and an award to the member.

According to another embodiment, the award includes loyalty pointsawarded to a loyalty program account of the member. According to anotherembodiment, the component includes a widget that is placed by the memberon a member page accessible through the social network. According toanother embodiment, the game includes a sweepstakes.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofawarding the member one or more entries into the sweepstakes responsiveto the one or more actions performed with respect to the component.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding at least one of a game and an award to the member responsiveto another member including the component on the another member's pageaccessible through the social network.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofproviding at least one of a game and an award to the member responsiveto a determination of a quality level of a social network of the member.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofpresenting an interface to the member that indicates informationregarding the sweepstakes. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of presenting an interface that permits anadministrator of the game and the award to manage an administration ofthe game and the award.

According to another aspect, a computer system is provided foradministering a social network, the system comprising a social network;a component that is selectively associated with a member's socialnetworking content in the social network; and a component, responsive toone or more actions performed with respect to the component that isselectively associated with a member's social networking content in thesocial network, is adapted to provide at least one of a game and anaward to the member. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises a component adapted to permit another member to perform an actwith respect to the component selectively associated with the member'ssocial networking content, and responsive to the act, providing at leastone of an entry to a game and an award to the member.

According to another embodiment, the award includes loyalty pointsawarded to a loyalty program account of the member. According to anotherembodiment, the component selectively associated with the member'ssocial networking content includes a widget that is placed by the memberon a member page accessible through the social network. According toanother embodiment, the game includes a sweepstakes.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to award the member one or more entries into thesweepstakes responsive to the one or more actions performed with respectto the component selectively associated with the member's socialnetworking content. According to another embodiment, the system furthercomprises a component adapted to provide at least one of a game and anaward to the member responsive to another member including the componentselectively associated with the member's social networking content onthe another member's page accessible through the social network.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to provide at least one of a game and an award to themember responsive to a determination of a quality level of a socialnetwork of the member.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises aninterface that indicates information regarding the sweepstakes.According to another embodiment, the system further comprises aninterface that permits an administrator of the game and the award tomanage an administration of the game and the award.

According to another aspect, in a distributed computer system, a methodis provided for collecting and processing player information, the methodcomprising acts of creating, in the distributed computer system, aprofile of a player; collecting, by a plurality of computer systems inthe distributed computer system, a plurality of data elements relatingto the player; and storing the plurality of data elements in one or morestorage entities associated with the distributed computer system.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting demographic information related to the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting behavioral information related to the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of collectingdata regarding online activity of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of collecting dataregarding offline activity of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining at leastone of an affinity, a preference, and a predisposition of the playerbased on one or more of the plurality of data elements relating to theplayer.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcreating, in the distributed computer system, a profile of a business.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises acts ofdetermining a geolocation of the player; determining at least one of anaffinity, a preference, and a predisposition of the player based on oneor more of the plurality of data elements relating to the player; anddetermining at least one matching profile of a business to the player,at least based in part on the geolocation of the player and the at leastone determined affinity, preference, and predisposition of the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofindicating, to the player, the at least one matching profile.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofindicating, to the business having the at least one matching profile anindication of a match. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of displaying an advertisement to the playerresponsive to the determination of at least one matching profile.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdisplaying, on a display of a portable device located at the geolocationof the player, the at least one matching profile.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofaccepting, from the player, an indication of at least one of anaffinity, a preference, and a predisposition of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of determiningan incentive offered to the player based on the at least one determinedaffinity, preference, and predisposition of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of determiningan incentive offered to the player based on the at least one affinity,preference, and predisposition of the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdetermining a score of the player. According to another embodiment, thescore indicates a capacity of the player to spend money. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of performing anaction with respect to the player based on the at least one determinedaffinity, predisposition and preference of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of performing anaction with respect to the player based on the at least one determinedaffinity, predisposition and preference of the player.

According to another embodiment, the score indicates the value of theplayer. According to another embodiment, the score indicates anaffinity, predisposition or preference of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of performing anaction with respect to the player based on the at least one determinedaffinity, predisposition and preference of the player.

According to another aspect, a computer readable medium is providedcomprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on aprocessor performs a method for collecting and processing playerinformation in a distributed computer system, the method comprising actsof creating, in the distributed computer system, a profile of a player;collecting, by a plurality of computer systems in the distributedcomputer system, a plurality of data elements relating to the player;and storing the plurality of data elements in one or more storageentities associated with the distributed computer system.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting demographic information related to the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of collectingbehavioral information related to the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of collecting dataregarding online activity of the player.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofcollecting data regarding offline activity of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of determiningat least one of an affinity, a preference, and a predisposition of theplayer based on one or more of the plurality of data elements relatingto the player. According to another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of creating, in the distributed computer system, aprofile of a business.

According to another aspect, the method further comprises acts ofdetermining a geolocation of the player; determining at least one of anaffinity, a preference, and a predisposition of the player based on oneor more of the plurality of data elements relating to the player; anddetermining at least one matching profile of a business to the player,at least based in part on the geolocation of the player and the at leastone determined affinity, preference, and predisposition of the player.According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofindicating, to the player, the at least one matching profile. Accordingto another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofindicating, to the business having the at least one matching profile anindication of a match.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofdisplaying an advertisement to the player responsive to thedetermination of at least one matching profile. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of displaying, on adisplay of a portable device located at the geolocation of the player,the at least one matching profile.

According to another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofaccepting, from the player, an indication of at least one of anaffinity, a preference, and a predisposition of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of determiningan incentive offered to the player based on the at least one determinedaffinity, preference, and predisposition of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of determiningan incentive offered to the player based on the at least one affinity,preference, and predisposition of the player. According to anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of determining a scoreof the player.

According to another embodiment, the score indicates a capacity of theplayer to spend money. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of performing an action with respect to theplayer based on the at least one determined affinity, predisposition andpreference of the player. According to another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of performing an action with respect to theplayer based on the at least one determined affinity, predisposition andpreference of the player.

According to another embodiment, the score indicates the value of theplayer. According to another embodiment, the score indicates anaffinity, predisposition or preference of the player. According toanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of performing anaction with respect to the player based on the at least one determinedaffinity, predisposition and preference of the player.

According to another aspect, a system is provided for collecting andprocessing player information, the system comprising a component adaptedto create, in the distributed computer system, a profile of a player;one or more components adapted to collect, by a plurality of computersystems in the distributed computer system, a plurality of data elementsrelating to the player; and a component adapted to store the pluralityof data elements in one or more storage entities associated with thedistributed computer system.

According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect demographic information related to theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect behavioral information related to theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect data regarding online activity of theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to collect data regarding offline activity of theplayer. According to another embodiment, the system further comprises acomponent adapted to determine at least one of an affinity, apreference, and a predisposition of the player based on one or more ofthe plurality of data elements relating to the player.

Further features and advantages as well as the structure and operationof various embodiments are described in detail below with reference tothe accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numeralsindicate like or functionally similar elements. Additionally, theleft-most one or two digits of a reference numeral identifies thedrawing in which the reference numeral first appears.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that is shown invarious figures may be represented by a like numeral. For the purpose ofclarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a distributed computer system according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a process for collecting player information according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows another process for collecting player information accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a process for maintaining a model of a player according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A shows a system for collecting player information and evaluatingplayers based on that information according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5B shows a process for performing actions responsive to playerinformation according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5C shows a data collection process for collecting playerinformation over a series of event according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6 shows a process for conducting questionnaires according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A shows a process for determining a score according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7B shows an example process for integrating awards with a socialnetwork according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a process for managing loyalty point accounts according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a process for using scoring information according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a process for providing a player incentive according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows a process for providing a player incentive according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 shows an environment suitable for implementing various aspectsof the present invention;

FIG. 13A shows another environment suitable for implementing variousaspects of the present invention;

FIG. 13B shows one process for providing a player incentive according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a system for conducting a game accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is an example ticket that may be issued in association with agame according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a process for conducting a game according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is a flow chart of a process for conducting a game according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a system for conducting a game according to according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a game interface according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of a system according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of a system according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of a system according toanother embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a general-purpose computer system uponwhich various embodiments of the invention may be implemented;

FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a computer data storage system with whichvarious embodiments of the invention may be practiced;

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing example components of a remote specialincentives computer system according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing components of a payout subsystem accordingto one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing components of a special incentivessubsystem according to one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one aspect, a distributed system is provided forcollecting, storing and analyzing player information. According to oneaspect, a system is provided that collects player information frommultiple sources such as gaming establishments, online sources,databases, web browsers, and other sources to create a model for aplayer. Such a system is capable of creating a view of that player, andthe model may be compared to the models of other players to determinethe potential worth of that player.

According to another embodiment, one or more ratings (or “scores”) for aplayer may be created that is/are more indicative of player value thanthose created based on information collected from a single source. Forinstance, player information such as ratings, demographics, play historyand other player information may be collected and stored by a playertracking or other type of system. The information may be stored in anytype of storage (e.g., in a file system, in a database, in memory,etc.). Such a system may establish a holistic rating for player that ismore clearly indicative of player worth, as a result of collectinginformation from multiple gaming establishments, among other sources. Inone embodiment, such a score may be determined by a scoring engine thatevaluates parameters of the model.

The following example systems may be used to implement various aspectsof the present invention. It should be appreciated that other systemconfigurations could be used, and such aspects are not limited thereto,unless specifically recited in the claims.

FIG. 1 shows a distributed computer system 100 capable of collecting,storing, and analyzing player information in accordance with variousembodiments of the present invention. As shown, a collection of systemsinteract in a distributed computer system referred to herein as an“ecosystem.” The collection of systems may include, for example, acasino loyalty system (e.g., a “CasinoLoyalty” system as discussed morefully below), an advertising network (e.g., an “AdNetwork” system), aconsumer website for attracting potential casino patrons (e.g., a“CasinoBonus” system), and a network that enables casino patrons tosolicit complimentary offers (e.g., a “CompOffer” system). Such systemsare shown by way of example in FIG. 1, although it should be appreciatedthat systems having other structures may be used to implement variousaspects as described herein.

As distinct and separate systems, these systems provide significantvalue to their independent users and organizations (e.g., a casinooperator). However, when integrated into an overall environment (e.g.,an ecosystem) that provides the interfaces, rules, security,communications, data integration and analysis, additional features andbenefits are realized. Some embodiments of the present invention addressthe mechanisms, rules and interactions of a set of interdependentsystems related to casino loyalty programs and customers arranged in anecosystem.

System Roles within an Ecosystem

One primary role of a consumer website for attracting potential casinopatrons (e.g., as provided by a CasinoBonus system as shown in FIG. 1)is to attract patrons into an overall ecosystem (e.g., EcoSystem asshown in FIG. 1). According to one embodiment, information may becollected regarding existing or unknown players, for the purpose ofevaluating those players. In one embodiment, the evaluation may includedetermining a predictive score for the player that measures the player'scapacity to spend money in the system. Determination of that score mayinvolve, among other things, determining information from the playerfrom one or more public data sources, information offered by the playersuch as their affinities, preferences, and predispositions, behavioraldata, location information, among others. To this end, the ecosystem maymaintain a model of the player (or unknown player) and determine ratingsor scores for the player based on a number of criteria presented to ascoring engine.

According to one embodiment, responsive to model information, theconsumer website may determine a score or behavioral profile of theplayer (or unknown player), and responsive to the determination, theecosystem may perform an action in relation to the player to cause themto interact with the ecosystem, either in an online or real-world form.

For instance, a particular person who has been targeted by the ecosystemmay be shown, for example, advertising on an ad network (e.g., AdNetworksystem as shown in FIG. 1), provided complimentary offers (e.g., via theCompOffer system shown in FIG. 1), provided an opportunity toparticipate in a specific casino's program (e.g., a CasinoLoyaltyprogram as shown in FIG. 1), and/or provided an opportunity to interactwith various ecosystem systems through which the ecosystem can collectadditional player profile and player model information via online games,quizzes and polls, and/or other interactions with the player.

While a casino loyalty system (e.g., a CasinoLoyalty system) may beprimarily a destination for casino patrons within the Ecosystem, thecasino loyalty system may also provide valuable access to casinos andplayers for the other systems. Similar to how a consumer website (e.g.,as presented by a casino bonus system) may attract patrons into theecosystem and provide a value proposition whereby the patron providespersonal information, a casino loyalty system may perform the samefunctions with casino operators. By providing a strong value propositionto casino operators, a casino loyalty system may attract casinos intothe ecosystem and may solicit them to provide comprehensive informationon their casino and player card members.

A purpose of both an advertising system (e.g., a gaming advertisementnetwork as provided by an AdNetwork system) and a complimentary offersystem (e.g., a casino-player auction system as provided by acomplimentary offer system) within the ecosystem includes performingrevenue-generating destinations/functions. By leveraging the patrons,casinos and detailed information provided by the other ecosystemcomponents, these systems may be able to provide more compelling andtargeted offers to patrons. The ecosystem further permits the parties(e.g., patrons/players, casinos, advertisers, etc.) to communicate,interact and generally share and improve relationships with each otherwithin the ecosystem through communication within the ecosystem and forthe collective system to determine what relationships will be definedbetween the parties.

Mechanisms for Integrating Systems

For the operation of the ecosystem according to one embodiment, theremay be two primary mechanisms by which the independent systems are ableto communicate and share information—a database (e.g., centralizeddatabase, distributed database, etc.) and/or shared applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs). Such methods may be used to exchangeinformation between information providers and communication consumers.Various parties may function within the ecosystem as a consumer orprovider of information at various points, and may derive benefitthrough the sharing of information.

Shared APIs and tools may allow the systems to communicate and accordingto one embodiment, may execute the following functions:

-   -   Exchange patron information among system components, entities,        roles, etc.    -   Exchange casino information    -   Exchange third-party promotional information    -   Enter ad campaign information (content and pricing/bid data)    -   Report ad campaign results    -   Report ad inventory levels    -   Enter promotional offer information and assignment rules    -   Determine promotional offers in real time    -   Assign promotional offers to patrons    -   Facilitate game sponsorship, awards and results    -   Transfer/purchase/auction of points    -   Merging of patron/player information    -   Determine scores for players    -   Create a model for a player    -   Identify and deliver desired players

According to one embodiment, the database structure may receive andstore information from the various systems in a compartmentalizedfashion so that proprietary data can only be retrieved and utilized perdata security and use rules. At the same time, data from all sources maybe merged to develop a holistic view of the patrons, casino operators,ad campaigns and operation of the overall system. The data may be thensummarized or sanitized into a form that maintains data security whilestill providing valuable information to the various systems. By sharingthis data between the systems, a casino loyalty system may be able toprovide more valuable patrons to casinos; a complimentary offer systemmay be able to provide a more comprehensive patron profile to thirdparties; an advertising network system can target ads more directly topatrons, casinos, etc.; and a casino bonus system can improve customerexperiences.

Data Security and Use Rules

According to one embodiment, it is appreciated that it may be importantfor various implementations to provide security of player data and otherdata (e.g., casino-owned proprietary data). In one example, ofimportance to an ecosystem are the concepts of data security and rulesfor use of the data collected by the four systems. Casino-owned,proprietary information regarding patrons, promotions, and player clubmetrics is integral to the operation of a casino loyalty system. On theother hand, one implementation of a casino bonus system may solicitusers to provide their casino loyalty club information along withauthorization to retrieve their individual data from the casino system.This data is clearly owned by the patron and, according to oneembodiment, the casino bonus system may be provided access to thepatron-owned data per a data use policy. In addition, the patron's useof all four systems (e.g., games played in a casino loyalty system,content searched in a casino bonus system, advertisements viewed in anadvertising network system, offers solicited/auctioned in acomplimentary offer system) adds to the information gathered on thepatron. That is, the patron/player behavior and interaction within theecosystem may be used as information that can affect futureinteractions.

To maintain the integrity of the ecosystem such that casino operators,patrons, advertisers and other third parties are willing to provide therequired data, data security and use rules may be established. Accordingto one embodiment, conventional data security mechanisms withincommunication systems and databases may be used. One implementation ofan ecosystem may use a combination of restricted access, encryption,data sanitization and summarization to maintain data security.

However, in addition to the fundamental data security mechanisms, oneexample ecosystem may implement rules for use of the data. These rulesmay include, for example, the level of data shared between the systemsat the discretion of the casino operators, patrons or third parties. Asan example, a casino participating in the complimentary offer systemmight allow patron information to be shared with non-competitors indifferent markets. Conversely, a casino operator that operates inmultiple gaming jurisdictions might only allow sharing patroninformation with sister properties. As another example, patrons of thecasino bonus system may provide selective access to their informationfor receiving offers from the complimentary offer system.

Similarly, the ecosystem may establish terms of use and regulations thatenhance and protect the integrity of the entire system. Terms of use andregulations may allow, for example:

-   -   advertisers and third parties equal access to patrons    -   casinos to share and access information on equal terms    -   patrons to provide and receive verified information    -   unauthorized and/or harmful use to be identified and eliminated        In this way, access to information collected within the        ecosystem may be regulated.        Collecting Information in the Ecosystem

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of a process 200 for collecting playerinformation according to one embodiment of the present invention. Forinstance, process 200 may be performed by one or more components ofdistributed computer system 100. At block 201, process 200 begins. Atblock 202, the distributed computer system collects player information.According to one embodiment, such information may include informationprovided by multiple gaming establishments, that, when analyzed, providea more holistic view of a player. Further, the information may becollected from a number of components and sources within an ecosystem,such as from online sources, one or more casinos, one or more databases(e.g., demographic data, credit score data, etc.), web interfaces (e.g.,from a person/player), social network interactions, online behavior atecosystem related or external websites, or other source.

Information relating to the player may be used to determine one or moreplayer ratings that measure a player's propensity to do something (e.g.,at block 203). For instance, one type of rating may be indicative of thelevel of gambler a player might be, given the data collected for thatplayer. In another example, the rating might indicate that the player ismore inclined to play certain games at a particular level (e.g.,information regarding the player indicates that he/she is likely to playblackjack at a estimated ADT). In yet another example, a player may havea certain tolerance for risk (e.g., to only gamble/lose certainamounts).

At block 204, one or more actions may be performed in response to thedetermination of player rating(s). For instance, that player may beoffered a complimentary offer, may be presented a particularadvertisement, may be sent a direct mail offer, or other action. In thisway, the most appropriate action may be performed with regard to theplayer.

FIG. 3A shows a process 300 for collecting player information accordingto one embodiment. As discussed, a number of different sources may beused to collect player information. At block 301, process 300 begins. Atblock 302, a model is created that represents the player. Such a modelmay include, for instance, a construct that uniquely identifies aparticular person or player. The construct may be indexed by a uniqueidentifier such as, for example, Social Security number, frequent playeridentifier, or other indexing method that permits unique identificationof a player. In some cases, depending upon the knowledge (or lackthereof) of a player's identification, that player may be tracked undera temporary identifier until the actual identity of the player is known.The player's identity may also be inferred based on other collectedinformation (e.g., credit card, other supplied personal data).

At block 303, information about the player may be collected from varioussources. For instance, at block 304, a player's online behavior may beobserved and collected. In particular, information identifying whatsites the player visits, their interests (e.g., from an onlineidentity), their associations with other people/institutions (e.g.,information from a referral network), may be tracked by the distributedcomputer system. At block 305, a person's offline behavior may also betracked. For instance, a person's location (e.g., as determined throughGPS/phone location) may be collected and used as player information bythe distributed computer system. In another example, a player's behaviorat a particular gambling property may be collected (e.g., at block 306),including what games a particular player plays, his/her betting history,win percentage, ADT in a particular gambling location, etc. Asdiscussed, one or more additional sources of information about theplayer may be used, including demographics information (e.g., collectedat block 307), player questionnaires (e.g., as collected at block 308),or other information.

At block 309, the model of the player is updated with the collectedinformation. Acts of collecting information about the player (e.g., atblock 303) and updating the model (e.g., at block 309) may continueindefinitely, as the overall view of the player is improved. At block310, process 300 ends.

FIG. 3B shows a process 311 for using a player model according to oneembodiment of the invention. At block 312, process 311 begins. At block313, a model is created for a player, such as the model created at block302 in FIG. 3A. After a certain amount of data is collected andassociated with the model, that model is compared with a referentialdata set which includes reference data from other players at block 314.In one embodiment, it is appreciated that some data elements that areassociated with a player are more highly indicative of certainbehaviors, and thus if such data elements are similar or are the same asother players that exhibit certain desired behaviors (e.g., the playerhas a propensity to gamble with a particular level of ADT), then thatplayer may be determined to behave in a similar way. Responsive to thiscomparison, the distributed system may perform an action, such as makinga complimentary offer to the player (e.g., an offer that the player islikely to accept given the comparison to other players), direct anadvertisement to the player, or perform other actions.

FIG. 3C shows a process 320 showing example actions that may beperformed by a distributed computer system according to one embodimentof the present invention. At block 321, process 320 begins. At block322, the system maintains a model of the player over time. As discussedabove with reference to FIG. 3B, the model may be improved from varioussources and over time. At block 323, one or more components of thedistributed system may perform one or more actions. For instance, atblock 324, the distributed system may provide one or more complimentaryoffers to players. The determination of what offer(s) a player gets maybe determined, at least in part, based on the information maintained inthe model and/or a comparison of information in the model to informationstored in a reference database.

In a similar way, the distributed system may display one or more ads toa player (e.g., at block 325) responsive to information stored in themodel and/or a comparison to other players' information in a referencedatabase. At block 326, information may be provided as a service toentities such as gambling organizations, retailers, or other parties'interested in reaching the player. The distributed system may alsopermit the player to play one or more games, such as over the Internetand/or in a gambling location. Behavioral data observed while the playerplays such games may be tracked and the player model may be updated.

Further, the distributed computer system may also permit a matching ofplayers (e.g., at block 328), by organizations, or by the playersthemselves. For instance, players having commonality between player datamay be permitted to contact each other using the ecosystem. At block329, the distributed computer system provides leads to one or moreorganizations. For instance, the computer system may target one or moreplayers as being receptive to a service or product. To this end, thedistributed computer system may include one or more interfaces thatpermit third parties to search and generate such leads. In anotherembodiment, the distributed computer system provides a matching serviceby matching ads to players (e.g., at block 330). As discussed above, theecosystem may be coupled to one or more ad networks that provide ads tobe displayed within Internet-based applications. One embodiment relatesto using the ecosystem as a conduit for ads that can be more efficientlytargeted to players based on their models and reference data.

At block 331, the distributed system may serve as a matching servicethat matches gambling locations to players, based on their preferencesand other information maintained about the player, and information thatrelates to the gambling location. In this way, players may be moreeasily referred to gambling organizations. Further, such matchinginformation may be provided to such organizations as leads. At block332, the ecosystem may be capable of trading player points amongplayers. This capability may result in a higher use of player points, aswell as increased revenues overall.

According to one embodiment, the system may be capable of tracking theoutcome of the various actions and rating their success. For example, ifan offer was provided via block 324, the system can track whether or notthe player redeemed that offer, and how quickly they did so. In anotherexample, if an ad was displayed via block 325, the system can trackwhether or not the ad was selected (e.g., clicked on with a pointingdevice) by the player. As shown in FIG. 3C, this information can then beused as inputs to update the player model and thereby refine the modelto be more accurate.

Acts of performing actions based on player information (e.g., at block323) and maintaining player models may continue indefinitely. At block333, process 320 ends.

Player Models

According to one aspect of the present invention, the ecosystem iscapable of building a model of a player. In one implementation, thisplayer profile includes demographic, psychographic data, as well ascontact information for the player. Data that is collected on the playermay be selected in order to build a robust profile of a player. Goals ofbuilding such a profile include being able to measure not only theplayer's potential, but other very important factors related to theplayer such as risk tolerance, sensitivities to volatility andgame/experience preference.

Scoring traditionally looks at the monetary value of a player only.Existing systems typically score a player based on their actual play.That is, a player only “achieves” their score through their play at thegaming establishment. According to one embodiment, it is appreciatedthat existing scoring methods do not have the capability of predictingthe capacity of a player to achieve a score in the future. Players thatare unknown to a gaming establishment are highly desirable, but asdiscussed above, many of the conventional methods for locating andattracting such players are insufficient (e.g., direct marketing, massmailings, and other conventional forms of advertising). According to oneembodiment, it may be beneficial to provide a complimentary offer thatis guaranteed to win to a previously unknown player, thus providing aninitial experience that is positive for the unknown player to encouragefurther visits.

According to one aspect of the present invention as more fully discussedbelow, a more predictive scoring method is provided that predicts thecapacity of a player before that player has ever entered the gamingestablishment (e.g., a casino). According to one embodiment, one goal ofpredictive scoring of a player is to assess the player's ideal,potential maximum value. In other words, what is their capacity to pay?How much are they able to and likely to spend gaming and consequentlyhow much are they worth to the casino? This information is importantinformation in determining how a player should be valued.

However, it is appreciated that not only is the potential spend value ofthe player important, but also important is the player's preferences andbehavioral predispositions. In particular, it is appreciated that aprofile that tracks a player's preferences and behavioralpredispositions would be useful to determine how that player should beengaged (e.g., with offers, advertising, game types, play type, etc.).In one embodiment, a gaming profile is created and tracks playerpreferences and behavioral predispositions. This gaming profile may bestored and associated with the model of the player. These preferencesand behavioral predispositions may be expressed directly by the patronor inferred by the system by looking at a number of inputs. Some examplekey indicators to be assessed and predicted may include:

-   -   Volatility Preference. For example, is the player more likely to        enjoy many small, frequent wins, or does the player prefer less        frequent but more significant wins?    -   Propensity to Risk. Does the player prefer fate or free will? In        other words, games that are pure luck with minimal interaction        (e.g., classic slot machine), or games where the player feels        that he/she has some control over the outcome (e.g., table        games).    -   Pace of Play. Does the player want game play to move fast, or        does the player prefer to stretch the time?        These and other factors can be used to create a profile of the        player that can be used to push the player toward specific        gaming experiences that will maximize their enjoyment. For        example, will the player enjoy black jack vs. slots? Should the        slot machine play be customized with options that add more free        will vs. fate? Other preferences of the player can be accepted        from the player (e.g., in an Internet-based interface),        determined heuristically from choices the player makes within        the ecosystem, or inferred from other player data (e.g., a        person that smokes and makes over $150K is 60% likely to play        roulette). Predictive scoring and/or profile information may be        associated and stored in the model of the player. Further,        information associated with the model may be used to determine        such predictive scores and/or determine player preferences.        According to another embodiment, a customized gaming experience        may be determined by the system, which determines an experience        produced for an individual or group based on a specific set of        heuristics. In another embodiment, a personalized gaming        experience may be determined, which determines an experience        produced strictly for an individual based a specific set of        inputs and heuristics relating to that individual.

Using this profile information assists the casino or other gamingestablishment to realize the player's maximum capacity. According to oneaspect of the present invention, both a potential score of the playerand their profile are tracked within an ecosystem. For example, a playermay have a very high score and a corresponding high capacity to play.However, if the player is predisposed to enjoy blackjack, but the casinosends them slot play incentives, it is likely that the player may nevervisit the casino to use the incentive. And, if the player does use theincentive, the player may likely have a non-optimal or even negativeexperience. In either case, the casino will realize only a fraction ofthe potential value that is indicated by the player's score.

In summary, the score indicates to the gaming establishment the player'scapacity to pay and the profile indicates how to maximize the player'sgaming experience. According to one embodiment of a system that providesincentives, the score is used to set the quality and value of theincentive, while the profile is used to select the type of incentive.For example, a player with a low score and profile that indicates theyare a slot player might get $10 in free slot play. A player with a highscore and profile that indicates they prefer blackjack might get a freehotel room and $50 in NCC. In both cases, casino is more likely torealize the player's maximum value.

Once the profile is built, the profile can then be used by one or moresystems in the ecosystem. As discussed, the profile may be used by agaming establishment to select a type of incentive offered to the player(e.g., from a group of possible incentives, one of which most closelymatches the profile of the player). Although profiles may be used in theapplication of incentive programs, it should be appreciated thatprofiles may be used in other contexts where goods and/or services areprovided to the player. In one example, the player's profile may be tiedto an online directory of establishments that may be interested inproviding goods and services to the player. For instance, when a playerlogs into the online directory, the ecosystem may associate theirprofile with profiles built for business and establishments in thedirectory. By extracting a geo-location, either in real time via a GPS,cell phone triangulation or other location-based technology, or throughuser inputted data, such as city, state, zip, etc., the ecosystem mayassociate the player's profile with a profile created for the businessesand establishments in the directory.

Once preference matches are made between the player's profile and thebusiness and establishment profile, those matches can be displayed in avariety of ways through a variety of applications, devices and services(web applications, cell phone applications, vehicle mounted GPS deviceand direction applications, etc.). For example, a map representing LasVegas can be rendered on a cell phone (e.g., an iPhone) and displayed tothe player/user. Each preference match can then be plotted on the map,along with the user's current geographical location, or specifiedlocation.

The ability to profile a person and to match that profile to businessesis useful, because directories for cities like Las Vegas can be massiveand finding establishments and businesses that directly match thepreferences of a player can be a tedious process for a visitor that haslimited time in the city. This technology gives a profiled player theability to find establishments that suit their preferences, saving themtime and money in locating such establishments. This type of matching isalso useful when a person travels to a new area (e.g., one that theperson has never visited), yet it is known what preferences that personalready has in previously-visited geolocations. Those preferences,stored with their profile, may be matched with those of other businessesin the newly-visited area, and those matches displayed to the person.

Profiles may be used for other purposes, such as the display of ads tothe user, offering targeted offers to particular players having certainpreferences, matching games to players, or otherwise making connectionsbetween players, advertisers, gambling organizations or other entities.

A model may be used to store other data, such as information that ties aplayer/person to one more many player loyalty accounts. This account andthe associated data can then be directly communicated to a CMS or Playersystem on property, either via an open protocol such as S2S (system tosystem), a closed proprietary protocol, or other methods. For instance,the model may be programmed to store the following data related to theplayer:

-   -   Play limited (make sure I do not spend more than $1000 on a slot        machine per visit)    -   Do not contact (ad me to the do not contact or problem gambling        list)    -   Smoking/Non-smoking preference    -   Game preferences    -   Please only contact me by email, no direct mail    -   Send me offers on rooms and restaurants    -   Notify me when you put new table games on the floor    -   Favorite Drink: Ketel One Vodka Martini, “Straight Up”, Three        Olives    -   I prefer offers from your Vegas properties    -   Married, I prefer offers that include my spouse        The model may also have an associated login account having        standard account data that can be changed or modified (e.g., by        the player):    -   Username, handle, nickname    -   Email address    -   Contact information    -   Marketing opt-in, opt-out state        While integrated into the player and CMS systems on property,        this account can also be tied into other systems, including, but        not limited to the following types of systems:    -   Email Marketing Management Systems    -   National Problem Gambling Hotline/Database/System    -   Promotional Marketing Systems    -   Hotel Reservation Systems    -   Lead Generation Optimization Systems    -   Direct Mail and ON-Demand Printing Systems    -   Internet advertising systems    -   Analytics systems        Such systems may also have data that is used to update or        augment the model of the player. Such information may be stored        along with or separate from the model information (e.g., just a        reference to external information may be stored).        Example Implementation Using Questionnaires

FIG. 4 shows one example process 400 for conducting a questionnaireaccording to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, asdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 3A, one method for collectingplayer information may involve conducting questionnaires. Suchquestionnaires may involve posing one or more questions to the playerthrough, for example, an Internet web page. It is appreciated that thequality of data collected from players could be improved if the playersare not aware that they are being profiled or otherwise being observed.Such information may be retrieved and store with the model of the playermaintained by the ecosystem.

The use of web-forms in the form of tests, quizzes and questionnaireshas become commonplace as a web-based lead generation and qualificationtool. Common application of these types of web-based forms can be easilyexperienced by interacting with modern online job interviews, autoinsurance applications, online education applications, or “fun quizzes”,gaming sites, and many other lead-generation and marketing networks.

It is appreciated that web-forms in the form of quizzes andquestionnaires have a much more positive consumer perception thanstraight registration forms. They are perceived as games or “fun timewasters”, which is very different than a standard registration form,which is often perceived as “invasive”, “not trustworthy” or “spammy[sic]”. Thus, tests, quizzes and questionnaires, are becoming much moresuccessful at getting potential leads to volunteer a wide array of verypersonal information. This information can be very useful in determiningthe value of the potential lead. However, this method of gatheringmetrics and information on a potential lead has a major flaw; people donot always volunteer the truth.

To help alleviate this issue, a system (e.g., distributed system 100)may be capable of tying tests, quizzes and questionnaires to real worldinteraction and operation of a business (casino or lottery). In thecontext of this integration, the data collected with these tests,quizzes and questionnaires becomes far more predictive and the tests,quizzes and questionnaires can evolve to become far more efficient atcollecting the appropriate data.

As shown in FIG. 4, questionnaires are generated and displayed toplayers and used to collect relevant player information. At block 401,process 400 begins. At block 402, a reference database is created (e.g.,by one or more components of distributed system 100). At block 403, therelevancy of data items are determined. For instance, there may becertain elements of the database that are more relevant than otherelements in measuring an attribute of the player. In one example, if thezip code is determined to by highly relevant to ADT, it may bepreferable to pose that question to the user prior to otherless-relevant questions. At block 404, the questionnaire is presented tothe player in, for example, an interface of a computer system (e.g., aweb interface).

At block 405, questions posed to the player are adjusted based onrelevancy, and also based on answers provided in previous questions. Forinstance, if one answer to a particular question is highly relevant toADT, then some lesser questions that are less relevant to ADT may beskipped. At block 406, the response(s) to the questionnaire questionsare saved to the reference database. Thereafter, the relevancy of dataitems may be adjusted over time, responsive to answers previouslyprovided by players. At block 407, process 400 ends.

Test, Quizzes & Questionnaires

Tests, quizzes and questionnaires can be generated by using acombination of one or many of the following methods: human or computeraided statistical analysis, regression tests, machine learning,evolutionary algorithms, etc, applied to datasets of potential questionsand on-site customer interactions. One goal includes using these methodsto produce tests, quizzes and questionnaires that are the most efficientat gathering the appropriate data and ultimately very accurate atpredicting value.

Results from tests, quizzes and questionnaires, tied to the potentiallead are combined with on-property engagement and interaction todetermine accuracy of the individual questions in the test, quiz orquestionnaire. The resulting data may be then used to fine-tune thetest, quiz or questionnaire for the next prospect.

The form displayed to a potential lead can be determined by a number offactors. For instance, the referring website or page, the website theyare visiting, the page of the website they are visiting, keywords on thepage they are visiting, search terms typed into a search engine, byinformation volunteered, such as zip code/country/affinities/maritalstatus/income/etc. or their geolocation determined IP address, cellphone, PDA, pocket computer, or personal computing device may be used.

According to one embodiment, it may be desired to track engagement bothin the online environment as well as engagement in the real world (e.g.,activity at a casino). To this end, one or many “tracking codes” may beapplied to tests, quizzes and questionnaires. According to oneembodiment, tracking codes are unique character strings and are appliedto the entire session. The codes may also be encoded strings that whendecoded and applied to a “processor” classify the visitor's potentialvalue in relation to how they answered a particular questionnaire. Thecodes may have an additional more detailed encoding of each question inthe questionnaire, how they answered each question and the particularversion of the questionnaire. It should be appreciated that, accordingto one embodiment, this encoded string is not human-readable and can beprinted in the form of a bar code, to enable easy scanning by mostmodern bar code readers. This allows modern hand-held computer device toread the code, transmit to a local processor or a processor accessibleby a local or wide area network. In one implementation, the code isinterpreted and a result is returned to the originating device.

An example of this process includes determining an encoded string whichis printed on a web-based coupon. When the coupon is scanned forredemption at the property, an indicator is displayed on screen to theemployee manning the customer service desk that this customer is apotential high-roller with an affinity for blackjack, to which theemployee then determines it is appropriate to give the customer a morevaluable reward to entice future behavior (i.e.: $100 NCC for tablegames vs. $20 NCC for slot machines). These “tracking codes” are alsouseful because they can then be associated to the customer's account. Inthe case of a customer tracking system, engagement can be tracked andassociated to the test, quiz or questionnaire that the customeroriginally engaged with. Future engagement online can also be trackedwith a visitor-specific tracking code. This additional code can bestored in a web session as well as in a client-side browser cookie ordata object on disk. This tracking code can be used to tie real worldinteractions and behavior to a customer's online profile. Future tests,quizzes and questionnaires presented to the customer can be thencustomized based on this additional information.

According to one embodiment, it may be desired to move customers fromonline to offline (e.g., to a casino) and to appropriately provideincentives to that player to do so. As discussed, it may be useful tobuild and maintain a player profile. Information within the playerprofile can be created using tests, quizzes and questionnaires. Acomplete player profile may be built over time via one or more tests,quizzes, questionnaires, customer website interactions, and real-worldcustomer interactions. These engagements may lead to some sort ofregistration and/or prompt the customer to take some desired action.

In some cases, the registration may be for a player club card and inmany cases an incentive for participation may be attached to theregistration. Because the test, quiz or questionnaire ultimately resultsin a score (discussed further below with respect to FIG. 5) and may alsoindicate customer preferences and affinities, this score, preference,and affinity information can be applied to a processor that determinesan appropriate incentive for this particular lead. One goal here is toprovide leads with the most optimally enticing offer available, based onhow they performed in the test, quiz or questionnaire, how they haveinteracted online, and how they have interacted in the real world.

Player Attraction and Scoring

As discussed above, one aspect of the present invention relates to theattraction, scoring and delivery of players. This may be accomplished byan online ecosystem involving a number of distributed computer systemsthat connect players, advertisers, gambling organizations, lotteries,and other entities that are interested in locating, attracting, andinteracting with players.

FIG. 5A shows one embodiment of a system 500 that identifies, evaluatesand delivers players. System 500 may include, for example, a number ofsystems that provide information to system 500, this information beingcorrelated to players and permitting system 500 to locate and evaluatethem. For instance, system 500 may locate player information through oneor more affiliates 501, and through organic search of player information(element 502), conventional forms of online and off-line advertising(element 503). Further, information about player can be obtained throughone or more online games (element 504), content viewed or provided tothe player (element 505), offers extended and/or redeemed by the player(element 506), online forms (element 507), or any other method forobtaining information relating to the player.

As discussed above, a model or profile of the player may be maintainedusing this collected player information. Such information may be used toperform an evaluation or scoring of the player (element 508).Information collected relating to the player in addition to behavioraldata (e.g., play in an online play system 510) may be used to identifyone or more qualified players 509 that can be delivered to a casinoproperty 511 or any other type of organization interested in reachingcertain identified players.

FIG. 5B shows one embodiment of one method for determining a rating or“score” for a player. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, playerinformation may be collected and stored in a reference database ordataset. In one embodiment, the distributed system gathers as much dataas possible from known players. If possible, this data may be linked toknown metrics that exist outside the gambling location (e.g., a casino).Further, data that may be available related to their web history orother information may be associated with the player. These metrics maybe associated based on common elements, such as demographic andpsychographic data.

In terms of scoring a player, there may be one or more characteristicsthat may be scored or otherwise measured. For instance, in the case of aplayer that could potentially be a casino patron, it may be desired toestimate a number of characteristics. For instance, what is the player'scapacity to spend in the casino, and how is this measured? What are theplayer's affinities, their likes and dislikes? What is the player'slifetime value to the casino and how is this measured? These and otherquestions about the player may be “scored,” including, but not limitedto the capacity of the player, propensity to gamble, the player'svolatility tolerance, pace of play and other characteristics.

According to one embodiment, when a new player (n) enters the ecosystem,information is collected on that player is stored in the referencedatabase (e.g., as stored in a profile of the player). As shown in FIG.5B, a number of different sources may be used to collect information(e.g., response to advertising, behavior online, intention to engage,behavior at other properties, behavior offline, demographic data (e.g.,age, gender, zip, etc.). Such information may be collected in variousways as discussed above (e.g., using a questionnaire via a web form).One or more elements of this collected information may have relevance toa property regarding the player that is desired to be measured by a“score” or other type of rating. Elements indicative of this “score” maybe combined in a function f(n) that produces an output score for aparticular player. In one embodiment, a reference dataset or set ofprofiles may be used as a basis of comparison to the collected playerinformation, and the similarity to the reference set may determine whatscore is attributed to the player.

Further, the function that determines the score may be blended among theelements indicative of the characteristic to be measured. In oneimplementation, the blended function may be weighted to highlightelements that are more clearly indicative of the characteristic. Theinformation may be submitted to a scoring engine that is capable ofdetermining a score based on a number of inputs.

Scoring may involve a blending of several analytical methods. One goalof scoring is to produce the most optimal and error-free resultpossible. Although analytical methods may be used, it should beappreciated that other types of mathematical tools can be used toproduce a score, including, but not limited to predictive modeling,scoring of models and forecasting. According to one embodiment, blendingand comparison of these functional results is significant in producingan accurate score.

Predictive modeling is commonly described as a process by which a modelis created or chosen to try to best predict the probability of anoutcome. In many cases, models are chosen based on detection theory totry to guess the probability of a signal given a set amount of inputdata (e.g., given a received email, how likely is the received emailspam).

A scoring engine can apply a blend of statistical techniques, includingbut not limited to Predictive Models, Decision Models, DescriptiveModels, Linear Regression Models, Discrete Choice Models, LogisticRegression, Time-based Regression, Multinomial Logistic Regression,Probit Regression, Time Series Models, Survival & Duration Analysis,Non-parametric techniques, Machine Learning techniques, Support vectormachines, Neural Networks, Radial basis functions, k-nearest neighbors,among others.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a number ofparameters may be identified that relate to a known “score” for a numberof known players. This known information may be stored within thereference database and players having similar sets of parameter valuesmay be identified as being more similar to other players that producethese known scores. In the case of a support vector machine, a learningmachine may be trained on a number of known parameters for particularplayers that have known scores. Such parameters may be, for example,data elements as recorded within the reference database such as, forexample, age, gender, zip, or other set of information that iscorrelated to a known score. Known scores for players may be modifiedfrom time to time as players exhibit different behavior within the realor online world. Once a learning machine is trained on a set of knowndata, that learning machine may be capable of predicting a possiblescore related to a player having particular parameter values (e.g., age,gender, zip, etc.). Using learning machines to estimate values orclassify a particular data may be used in order to determine therelative score of a player to other known players or to predict andclassify a player based on a limited set of information.

Once a score is produced, it is important to determine the accuracy ofthat score. Once this potential player starts producing on-property playhistory, statistical techniques can be used to determine the mostsignificant indicators of value, when compared to the referential dataset. It is also important to note that the difference between theplayer's actual value on property and the predicted value can roughlyindicate the overall error in prediction. Adding this error as anelement of the reference data set can help to make a stronger model forfuture predictions. In one example, a score of similar players has anerror range of 5%-10%. Tracked play can also be added to the referencedata set, along with significant indicators, to produce a stronger modelfor future prediction.

As discussed, scoring has many uses. For example, scoring may beintegrated with online ad targeting in an effort to increaseconversions. Once a player has been scored, the score can be used toentice the player to visit a website, complete a form, etc., bydisplaying a targeted promotion or advertisement based on their score.The score can be an integrated metric in an online advertising system orad network and may be provided to that system. For instance, the scoremay be provided to the system or network via an API, a database, acookie, or other similar transmission or storage mechanism.

Scoring may also be used with direct mail and customized direct mailmessages to produce more highly targeted direct mail pieces or messages.A scoring service may also be used by a host of other applications, suchas integrated promotions, within third party forms, etc. For instance,third party websites such as Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotels.com, amongothers, can use a scoring service in an attempt to better target offersand promotions to improve conversions.

Other uses for a referential data set include improving formconversions, by reducing average responses within a predictive model. Inparticular, predictive models can be used to derive average responseswithin a subset of that model. More concrete elements, such as zip code,sex, date of birth, etc. can be used to imply the results of moresubjective elements, such as number of children, average income,affinities, etc. As an example, if by first collecting zip code, theaverage income and average education level can be derived from the zipcode. Then, it may be possible to dynamically, or in step, eliminatethose elements (that can be derived from other elements) from the formin an attempt to reduce the complexity of the application. Because theform can be simplified, submission of the form is increased as playersare likely to answer a higher number of questions that provide relevant(not redundant) information.

Other more simple scoring methods may also be used to determine thescore of a player. For instance, known play at other establishments canbe used to score a player over time. How this play is measured andtracked may be significant. In one example, play of a player may bemeasured by only viewing a player's loyalty points and how they increaseor decrease over time. These changes may be indexed against a databaseof known loyalty point values across properties, to determine the valueof the player. Then, this data can be used to predict how a player mightbe valued at an establishment where play history has not beenestablished.

In another example, the system may build a list of keywords thatindicate an affinity for gaming. The system may perform data mining ofpublically available data sets, such as blogs, message boards and emailsystems for these keywords and then associating these keywords toidentifiable indexes, such as email addresses, names and phone numbersof potential players. The number of relevant keywords can be used tobetter target marketing messages, including direct mail, email and webadvertising.

Further, scoring may be applied to web pages. Based on a model ofkeywords to gaming affinities, pages can be scored and ranked based onthe keywords that they contain related to those affinities. Then, userswho visit these pages can be scored based on frequency and duration ofvisitation.

Also, a player's game usage may be monitored and used to determine ascore. For instance, frequency, duration, average bet size, etc. ofonline casino games that are played by the player can be used to score aplayer's gaming affinities and their gaming knowledge. This data canthen be used to target advertising, promotions and special offers, amongother actions.

As shown in FIG. 6, a scoring engine may be used to compare a number ofinputs reflective of the attributes of the player/person and profiles ofother players that are potential predictive indicators of the futurebehavior of the player. As discussed, certain sources of information maybe used to measure, for instance a player's response to advertising,online behavior, intention to engage, etc. These sources may be appliedto a scoring engine that compares data inputs from these sources to oneor more profiles. These profiles may have certain data elements thatwhen present or at a certain value, indicate the presence or absence ofthe characteristic to be measured (e.g., propensity to gamble at aparticular ADT).

Inputs for a scoring engine may include, for example:

-   -   Demographic Data    -   Psychographic Data    -   Social & Social Graph Data    -   Self-reported Data    -   Online activity    -   Offline activity    -   Casino/on-property activity    -   Advertising response/actions    -   Calls to, or requests for, action

As discussed, there may be many different sources that provide thisdata. For example, demographic data may be provided through online andoffline registration forms, questionnaires, surveys, third party datalook-up services such as TargusInfo, census agencies that provided data,among others. Psychographic data may be provided by online and offlineregistration forms, questionnaires, and surveys. Social and social graphdata may be provided by social networking websites (e.g, MySpace,Facebook, etc.), self-report and third-party reported memberships tospecific organizations (AARP, AAA, Unions, etc.).

Self-reported data (data that comes directly from the player) may beprovided by gaming related affinities and non-gaming andcursorily-related affinities. For instance, when a player offersinformation during a registration at a gaming facility, that informationmay be used to populate the model of the player.

Behavioral activity of the player may also be provided as an input todetermine a player's score. For instance, online activity or behaviormay be monitored by observing a player's website affinities, theduration the player spends on such sites, and site-specific activities(e.g., playing games, buying clothing, performing social networkingfunctions, etc.). Further, the affinities of the player may be used todetermine score. Such affinities may include self-reported affinitiesexpressed through various websites, favorite books, favorite websites,collected bookmarks, stories or article topics shared using publiclyaccessible hyperlink social bookmarking and sharing services (e.g.,del.icio.us, Digg, YahooBuzz!, etc.). Other online behavior may be used,such as overall Internet usage, access from particular geo-locations,etc.

A player's offline activity or behavior may also be tracked and used todetermine a player's score. For instance, a player's travel history,self-reported or provided by third party data service, market affinities(shopping, brands, locations, etc.), and self-reported and publicallyaccessible geo-location affinities, collected from geo-location data oninformation sharing, blogging or photo sharing websites may be used todetermine player scores. For example, information identifying an averagegeo-location of all photos shared by a user on Flikr, PhotoBucket, orPicasa. Locations of travel destinations, restaurants and businessesreviewed by on travel and local search sites such as Travelocity,TripAdvisor, Yelp!, Yahoo Local and Google Local may be used toestablish a location of the player at various times and frequencies.Further, a player's behavior in a casino or other on-property activitiesmay be monitored (e.g., what games were played, how much was spent andat what rate, what other goods/services were purchased on the property,gaming affinities, average hotel say duration, response and redemptionrates to specific promotions, offers and comps, player club membershiplevel, player club membership activity, player visitation frequency,player average spend per visit, etc.).

Further, advertising response and actions of the player with respect toadvertising may be used to determine a player's score. For instance,information such as the average exposure to specific targeted onlineadvertising, average click through rates on specific online advertising,and average time spent viewing specific targeting advertising landingpages may be used to determine the player's behavior. Also, frequencyinformation such as the frequency of response to targeted advertising,frequency of visiting online advertising landing pages, frequency ofpartially completing online advertising landing pages, frequency offully completing online advertising landing pages, frequency ofredeeming coupons and special offers online and offline, and frequencyof responding to phone, mail, email and web-based questionnaires, pollsand special offers may be used to determine player score.

Also, a player's calls to, or requests for, action may be used todetermine player score. For example, a player's responses to emailquestionnaires and polls, or online forms, questionnaires, polls may beused by a scoring engine to determine player score. Further, datacollected during various activities including pre-registration forloyalty club membership, during entry into a sweepstakes, duringregistration for a special offer, coupon or promotion, during a processof booking a vacation, flight or hotel room (either online or offline),during a phone-based questionnaire, interview or poll may be used.

There may be location or organization-specific information that may becollected that is indicative of characteristics relating to the player.In the case of casinos, information such as spend likelihood, visitlikelihood, frequency of visits, associations with other players,lifetime spend and other location-specific information may be used todetermine player score. For instance, information relating to spendlikelihood may be determined using online gaming interaction and relateddata, data from customer relationship management (CRM) or Loyalty Clubsystem(s), and self-reported intention to spend a specific value.Information relating to visit likelihood may be determined fromresponses and to specific online or offline coupon, offer or compinformation, and/or data from CRM or Loyalty Club system(s) data. Visitfrequency data and lifetime value data may be obtained directly orinferred from CRM or Loyalty Club system(s) data. Associated player data(e.g., the player brings the wife and kids, travels with one or morefriends, etc.) may be obtained directly or inferred by average hotelroom size, when booked online or offline, social and social graph data,and/or gaming website usage and interaction data. Data relating to spendoutside the casino may be obtained from affinity data, eitherself-provided or gathered from third-party data services, granular dataon credit card spend affinities and/or general credit card spend datarelated to specific market segments (dining, entertainment, travel,etc.).

As discussed, there may be many uses for scoring data, especially forinterested third parties that wish to target such players. For instance,in the case of one or more casinos or other gambling organizations, suchorganization may desire to reach potential players. To reach suchplayers, third parties such as casinos may be permitted to accessscoring data according to one embodiment. For example, player data maybe provided to casinos via a customer relationship management (CRM)interface. Such an interface may include a web interface, mobileapplication, text-messaging, email or other interface method orcombination of methods. Casino interest in player(s) may also beinitiated through a web interface, a text-messaging response, an email,a call to automated phone system, or a phone system operated by acustomer service representative.

In one embodiment, the information may be “sold” or a referral/leadprovided to the third party for value. The price for a particularreferral may be based on the score of the player (e.g., their capacityto spend money). Also, historical sale prices of leads may be tracked bythe system, and previous sales of similar lead types (e.g., withcomparable scores) may be priced in a similar manner. Such informationmay also be “bid” on by a number of third parties in an auction setting.Leads may be bid on by third parties in real time in an online setting,similar to Ebay, bidding on keywords such as Google AdWords, or by usingother forms of bid technology.

Third parties may also contribute to scoring, and such information maybe maintained by the ecosystem and provided to other third parties. Forinstance, a third party referred to herein as a “referring partner” maybe capable of providing a “rating” or score of the player while thatplayer/person interacts with the third party. For instance, the thirdparty may be a casino, and the casino includes computer systems thatmonitor the particular player when that player is on-property.Performance of the player (e.g., as the player interacts with the systemand the property, data from the players interaction, such as response tosweepstakes, promo, comp, and/or ADT of the player after they havevisited the casino) as determined by the casino is used to develop ascore that represents the value of the referring partner (e.g., thecasino). This information may be provided to the ecosystem and accessedby other third parties or users. A unique identifier may be assigned toreferring partners so that their scoring information may be indexed andaccessed.

In addition, the ecosystem may provide comparable players, such as thoseprovided by casino loyalty and CRM system(s) and historical players thathave already been through the system. The ecosystem may also reevaluatethe model associated with existing players from time to time to keep anupdated view of that player. For instance, when the player interactswith the ecosystem, data about how the player's performance (e.g., at aproperty) is fed back into the scoring engine to determine an updatedscore.

For instance, as shown in FIG. 5C, an ecosystem may collect and evaluatea player over a series of events, while continually improving theprofile of that player. For instance, the ecosystem may collectinformation submitted by a person (e.g., information 520 including theperson's name, e-mail address, date of birth, and zip code as part of anewsletter registration process 521). In another event, the ecosystemmay permit the player to submit loyalty club information 522 for thepurpose of tracking and maintaining member card information 523. Basedon the player's member card information, the player may be offered oneor more offers 525 and may accept one or more of these offers (thuscreating additional information that relates to the player's affinityand/or preferences). Further, in another event, the ecosystem maycontain additional information through other data collection methods(e.g., a test, questionnaire, data entry form, or other element (e.g., apop-up form requesting address, city and state information for theplayer)) that permit the ecosystem to create a fuller view of theplayer. Such events may include one or more communications to/from oneor more systems of the ecosystem. For instance, information related tothe player may be e-mailed between systems to communicate playerinformation. Periodically, information collected about the player may besaved to the player profile.

FIG. 6 shows one example of a method for producing a score according toone embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a score may bedetermined by a scoring engine based on a number of potential predictivefactors. In one embodiment, the scoring engine may be part of aconsumer-facing website that interacts with known or potential players.Initial predictive scores and/or profiles may be generated based onprocessing loyalty databases, extracting indicators based on ADT, orother meaningful business metrics. The player may then have anon-property visit (or other experience or interaction with theecosystem) that changes the view of the player. For instance, the playermay have had a nominal initial score, but based on behavior on-property,the score may change, or otherwise indicate that their profiles need tobe changed that indicate how future scores should be determined. Inparticular, the indicators by which particular characteristics aremeasured may be refined. In this way, feedback from player's engagementswith the ecosystem may impact how players should be scored or profiledin the future.

According to one embodiment, scoring functions include two sets of data;an input data set and a basis, referential or historical data set. Withthese two datasets, one or more analytical methods may be applied,including but not limited to predictive analytical methods as well as ablend of multiple results from the application of multiple analyticalmethods to produce the best and most useful/accurate end result. Basis,referential or historical data sets may be determined as one or acombination of many of the data sets listed above, or custom data setsthat can be correlated to specific data-points of the basis data sets.

Data relevancy may be determined for various elements of thereferential, basis or historical data sets. It is appreciated that notall basis, referential or historical data sets are created equal. Thus,according to one embodiment, one aspect relates to loading this datasetinto the scoring system and then providing a method to assign relevancyvalues and weights to specific data elements within the new data set. Aswell as providing relevancy values and weights to specific elements, arelevancy value and weight can then be applied to the overall dataset.

Optionally, the system may then display (e.g., using visual diagrams, 3dmodeling, graphing, etc.) in real time, the overall affect particularreferential values and weights have on the overall system. With regardto data accuracy, it is appreciated that some data sets are not asaccurate as desired for the overall model. Similar to data relevancy, anaccuracy value or weight can be applied to individual data sets as wellas the overall data set.

When there is a change in basis, referential and historical data, thisinformation may be indicative of trends. In particular, when basis,referential and historical data is significantly granular and themethods to gather and measure these data points occurs at asignificantly relevant rate, any changes in specific data points can beused as a new and alternate set, to indicate trends. These trend setscan then be used by the scoring engine as basis, referential andhistorical data for scoring the potential for input data to follow thatparticular trend. Such a system would allow an operator the ability toselect which trends are most relevant and apply those trends to theoverall scoring function using relevancy values and weights.

Data updates may occur at any point in the ecosystem. However, it isappreciated that basis, referential and historical data sets can beupdated based on several factors, including availability of the data,ease of accessibility to the data, update time values set in the systemby the operator, and in real time, when new data is made available.

As discussed, data is fed back into the reference data set, so thatscoring may be adjusted. For instance, when an input data set is appliedto the scoring system/function, a result is produced. This input set ismost likely related to a gaming candidate. A gaming candidate'sengagement can then be tracked using various methods, including but notlimited to a loyalty system. Property engagement can then be fed backinto the system as a new element of a basis, referential and historicaldata element. When compared to the initial result produced for thiscandidate, this “feedback” can be used to help tune and adjust theoverall scoring system/function to be more accurate.

According to one embodiment, an operator of this scoring system cancreate heuristics that associate actions to specific results. Theheuristics can be specific to the result set(s) that are produced by thesystem. The actions can be, but not limited to, entering the input dataset and the results into a database for further use, generatingautomatic emails, scheduling the printing and delivery of marketingmaterials, changing the details of a data record in a loyalty managementsystem.

FIG. 7A shows one example implementation where a third party applicationmight integrate with a scoring system, and take a resulting actionresponsive to the determined score. At block 701, the player may enterinformation (e.g., their name, address zip code, etc.) in a web form.This information may be requested, for instance, when the playerregisters at a third party website. At block 702, the submittedinformation is transferred to the scoring engine, which then provides ascore associated with the player at block 703. At block 704, the scoreis associated with an action to be taken, which, according to oneembodiment, may be determined based on rules, heuristics, or otherfunction. As discussed above, one or more complimentary offers may bemade to the player, based on the provided information (e.g., at block705). In this case, based on the determined score, the most appropriatecomplimentary offer is selected and presented to the player (e.g., inthe computer interface).

Social Sweepstakes and Rewards

Over the past few years, social networks have become commonplace on theInternet. As they continue to increase in popularity, they not onlycontinue to attract a more youthful age group, but are increasingly usedby people who are more mature in age. With this, there will be anincreasingly greater opportunity for lotteries and casinos to market totheir target audience, using these social networks.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, actions performedby a member within a social network are used to provide an award orentry within sweepstakes or other type of game. At block 711, process710 begins. At block 712, a member of a social network associatescontent with their own personal page. For example, a member of a socialnetwork may have their own personal webpage associated with their onlinepersona (e.g., a Facebook homepage), and the member selects to havecontent associated with that page. As discussed further below, thatcontent may include a widget that, when activated, performs functionsassociated with a loyalty account and/or sweepstakes entry. At block713, a member or other member of the social network performs an actionin the social network that relates to the content placed on the member'spage. For instance, another member may select or view the content on themember's personal page, causing a code element to be activated thatincreases that member's loyalty account or otherwise enters the memberinto one or more sweepstakes. For example, at block 714, a member'sloyalty points are accumulated responses to actions performed by othermembers with respect to the content. In another example, at block 715, amember is extended an entry into one or more sweepstakes based on one ormore member actions within the social network. It should be appreciatedthat any number of actions or relations within the social network cancause (or be configured to cause) increasing points or entry within anytype of game, including a sweepstakes.

According to one embodiment, social networks may be used to implementsweepstakes by using mechanics and structure of a social network as thequalifier of entry into one or many sweepstakes or other type of gameentry or award. As a member of a social network, the member is presentedwith the opportunity to place a content (e.g., a “widget”) on themember's page. By registering for access to this content and placing thecontent on the member's page, the social network member qualifieshim/herself to be eligible for entries into one of many SocialSweepstakes. The member is given the opportunity to select one of manypotential available sweepstakes in which to participate. Once thesweepstakes is selected, the member is presented with content (e.g., a“widget” code) to place on their page.

According to one embodiment, once the content is placed on their pageand activated, the member then starts accruing sweepstakes entries. Inone implementation, sweepstakes entries may be accrued based on one ormore functions derived from several factors. In one simple example, thesystem may accrue one sweepstakes entry for each unique visitor thatvisits the sweepstakes content placed on the member's page (e.g., thevisitor selects the “widget” and five (5) sweepstakes entries if thevisitors also signs up to participate in the sweepstakes and places thecontent (e.g., another “widget”) on their own page. Otheractions/relations may be created that trigger a sweepstakes entry forthe member. A more complex set of factors that can be used to accruesweepstakes entries may include the number of unique visits, the numberof “friends” or other relation the member has in the social network,and/or the percentage of friends that also have sweepstakes “widgets” ontheir pages. To add incentive for participation and excitement, thevalue of the sweepstakes could also be adjusted based on similarfactors. However, in one embodiment, the value of the sweepstakes couldbe a fixed value.

These sweepstakes can provide prizes such as, for example, monetarycurrencies, goods, services and well as loyalty points, coupons andother incentive currencies. According to one embodiment, a socialnetwork that implements social sweepstakes may include the followingseveral components, a web visitor content (e.g., a component such as a“widget”), a social network member component, and a backend sweepstakesmanagement component.

Regarding a web visitor content (e.g., a component), an individualbrowsing a particular page on the Internet (e.g., a member page locatedon a social network) encounters an element on the page displayingdetails of the sweepstakes. This information may or may not include thevalue of the sweepstakes, the total number of entries into thesweepstakes as well as links to how the visitor can enter thesweepstakes. There may also be additional information displayed relatedto partners or promoters of the sweepstakes.

Regarding a social network member component, a member of a socialnetwork, once registered for a particular sweepstakes, can visit amanagement page which will allow them to view the number of entries intothe selected sweepstakes, when the next drawing will be held, and thenumber of times they have entered a sweepstakes. The management page mayalso permit the member to view other information associated with thesweepstakes, such as links to terms of services, privacy policies andsweepstakes rules and regulations. Further, the management page mayprovide redemption information that relates to redemption of asweepstakes entry (e.g., links to information on how to redeem anywinnings related to the sweepstakes).

A backend sweepstakes management component may be provided that allowentities that are providing or otherwise sponsoring the sweepstakes tomanage the administration of the sweepstakes. In particular,advertisers, promoters, businesses, organizations and individualsinterested in using sweepstakes as an advertising tool are providedaccess to a web interface that would allow each entity to sponsor eachof the available sweepstakes. According to one embodiment, such aninterface provides advertising opportunities to users, as ad buys can beplaced through this web interface. In one implementation, the advertisermay be permitted to specify content, duration or frequency, as well as aclick through URL for the advertisement. The advertiser would have noresponsibility in the fulfillment of the sweepstakes, unless theadvertiser is offering the prize for the sweepstakes (ex: free play at acasino, free trip, etc.).

It should be considered that a social sweepstakes does not have to belimited to members or any particular social or referral-based network.It can be appreciated that the Internet is, in and of itself, a giantsocial network, so the above can be applied to any content and dataaccessible on the WWW/Internet, including content and data rendered andaccessible over cable, cellular, wireless, WiMAX and satellite networks.

Social rewards may be offered to members in much the same way as socialsweepstakes as discussed above. In particular, a system may awardloyalty and/or rewards points to a member based on their social network.In one implementation, the mechanics and structure of a social networkare used as the qualifier for accruing such loyalty and/or rewardspoints. In the examples discussed above, content may be placed on amember's social networking web page (e.g., by placing a “widget” on theweb page). By registering for access to this content and placing thecontent on the member's page, the social network member qualifieshim/herself to be eligible for loyalty and/or rewards points. The membermay be provided the opportunity to select a frequent player or othertype of rewards program to accrue points in. Once the type of loyaltyprogram is selected, the member is presented with content (e.g., a“widget” code) to place on their page. According to one embodiment, oncethe content is placed on their page and activated, the member thenstarts accruing awards points. In one implementation, points may beaccrued based on one or more functions derived from several factorsrelating to the activity of the social network. As discussed above, amember may accrue points based on how frequently their page with thecontent is viewed, how frequently the content is selected, how many“friends” the member has, how may friends have added the content totheir page, and other factors related to the social network.

Player Delivery

Various aspects of the invention relate generally to attracting playersto an ecosystem and eventually, delivering them to gamingestablishments. According to one embodiment, delivery of players may beaccomplished by offering players incentives. As discussed above, becausegaming establishments have a strong incentive to promote enjoyablevisits, one aspect of the invention creates more intelligent incentivesthat increase the likelihood of an enjoyable patron visit or advancesome other goal of the gaming establishment. These incentives may be inthe form of intelligent non-cashable credit (NCC) or may take any otherform such as coupons, vouchers, player card account information, orother forms that is able to alter or control the gaming experience.

One embodiment of this invention uses customer profile information toaward incentives that create customized gaming experiences catered tothe known or predicted conscious or subconscious predispositions orpreferences of the patron. This type of targeted incentive serves tomake the incentive more enticing to the patron, increasing thelikelihood that the patron will use the incentive. It also makes it morelikely that the patron will have a positive gaming experience and anenjoyable visit, because the gaming experience will more closely fit theexperience suited to that patron.

In one example implementation, it may be known or deduced from profileinformation (or other information collected by the ecosystem) that apatron has a strong preference for games of skill rather than games ofchance. In such a case, incentives may be provided based on the profileinformation that specifically direct a player to blackjack or videopoker rather than roulette or slot machines. In another example, aplayer known or predicted to have a low tolerance for game volatilitymay be directed to specific electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in thegaming establishment that are configured to pay out small, frequent winsrather than machines that pay larger but more infrequent wins.

According to another embodiment, use of the incentive may alter the gameitself to more closely match the known or predicted conscious orsubconscious predisposition or preferences of the patron. The game maybe altered in any number of ways. A few examples may be to use differentpay tables, add, remove, or alter game features, add or remove gamerules, add new or altered ways to win the game, or change the asceticsof the game. Again, this serves to make the incentive more enticing,increasing the likelihood of incentive redemption in the gamingestablishment and also making it more likely that the patron will have apositive gaming experience and an enjoyable visit, because the gamingexperience will more closely fit the experience suited to that patron.

In another embodiment, an incentive may contain additional informationor provide a link to additional information kept in another system thatindicates that a player enjoys highly volatile games. In this case, theuse of the incentive in an EGM would cause the EGM to use highlyvolatile pay tables rather than the standard pay tables. In anotherexample, if the patron profile indicates that a player prefers footballto basketball, use of an incentive in a slot machine would change thegame to use football team logos and branding rather than basketball teamlogos and branding. In another example, incentives used by a patronwhose profile indicates that she prefers games with free will ratherthan pure chance may alter a slot machine to give the patron a choice ofan additional way to win, such as choosing between doubling the payouton the 1^(st) or 3^(rd) line of a slot machine or picking which card(s)should be wild in a video poker machine.

Game play may also be altered for table games. For example, special NCCchips given to a patron who wishes to play blackjack may allow thepatron to choose a wildcard or create an additional way to win such asan extra payout for a hand that contains 3 of a kind or all cards of thesame suit. As another example, a patron using specific NCC chips to playcraps may be allowed to make an additional type of wager that is notavailable to other patrons using regular chips.

In another embodiment of the invention, a gaming establishment may useincentives to direct players to a specific game, set of games, or aspecific location in the gaming establishment. This may be an exclusivearea in the establishment that, based on the patron's known or predictedprofile, may be particularly enticing or enjoyable for the patron. Or,it may be that for marketing, branding, exposure, or other reasons theestablishment wishes to drive traffic to or through a particularlocation within the establishment.

Another embodiment of the invention may use incentives to increase theodds that a new patron will win a minimum amount on their first visit tothe gaming establishment. As an example, among other ways, this may beaccomplished by combining this embodiment with other embodiments, suchas using the incentive to direct patrons to specific EGMs that havehigher payout tables, changing the pay tables or other features of EGMsto increase the odds of winning, or altering table game wagering rulesto increase the odds of winning.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to accepting playerpreferences directly from the player. For instance, during aregistration process, the player may input, through an interface of acomputer system (e.g., a web interface), that the player prefers tablegames. Such player preference information may be associated and storedin the model for the player, and incentives may be selected for theplayer that are consistent with the preference information. Suchinformation may also be obtained through

Aggregation of Data

According to one embodiment, a system and method may be provided foraggregating gaming related compensation offers, loyalty point balancesand win/loss statements over an electronic medium or network ofqualified casino patrons who choose to participate in one or moregambling loyalty programs.

FIG. 8 shows an example process 800 for managing loyalty points withinan ecosystem according to one embodiment of the present invention. Atblock 801, process 800 begins. At block 802, a player is permitted toaccess a website. Such a website may be presented by a server associatedwith the ecosystem. The website may permit (e.g., at block 803) theplayer to register one or more loyalty accounts with the website, sothat the player may track and otherwise manage their loyalty pointprograms from a single point. To this end, the player may provideauthentication information that permits the ecosystem to obtain loyaltypoint information (e.g., a username/password). The ecosystem may then beconfigured to obtain the loyalty account information from theorganization (e.g., the casino), such as through an API, a data exchangemethod, or user interface. The ecosystem may be capable of scrapinginformation periodically from the player's loyalty account with orwithout the player involvement so as to keep a current view of theplayer and to provide more accurate scores.

In exchange for access to such information, the player may be permittedto perform a number of actions with respect to the player's loyaltyaccounts (e.g., at block 804), such as managing one or more loyaltyaccounts (at block 805), trading loyalty points, either with theecosystem or other players (at block 806), receiving bonuses, offers,ads or invitations from the ecosystem (at block 807), redeeming loyaltypoints for goods and services (at block 808), among other actions.Actions performed by the ecosystem may be executed indefinitely, as theplayer interacts with various elements of the system, acquires loyaltypoints, interacts with various organizations and gambling locations,among other interactions with the ecosystem. At block 809, process 800ends.

Further aspects of a loyalty account management system may include oneor more of the following, either alone or in combination with otherfeatures. For instance, a qualified person (e.g., a patron who is amember of a gambling loyalty program) may be either invited to join thesystem or may find the system by other methods. Compensation offers mayalso be targeted to people that do not participate in loyalty programsor other type of membership program. The qualified person may berequired to pay the system a one-time entry fee, monthly subscription orusage fee for access to the system.

To utilize the system (e.g., view aggregate compensation offers, loyaltypoint balances and win/loss statements), the qualified person may bepermitted to complete a registration form whereby he/she is required toidentify the gambling loyalty club(s) to which they belong and theninput a unique key into a registration form to each gambling loyaltyclub that he/she is a member of. The unique key may be different foreach unique casino, lottery or other lawful gambling establishment.

On behalf of the qualified person, the system may access periodically(e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, etc.) each specified account with thecorresponding key and may aggregate all available compensation offers,loyalty point balances and win/loss statements and display theaggregated information in a user interface or series of user interfaces.The data may be collected from multiple accounts for a single player,and a more holistic view of the player's performance may be constructedas a result. By tracking the changing loyalty point balance and win/lossstatement over time, the system can infer the relative worth of thequalified person to each disclosed gambling loyalty membership accountas well as the total value of the qualified person based on all theiraccounts.

In one embodiment, the system makes offer redemption recommendationswhich include additional point purchase options, point exchange andredemption planning strategies and may combine them with othernon-gambling loyalty programs (e.g., airline, car rental, credit card,etc. . . . ) to the qualified person based the available aggregatedloyalty program offers.

Through a series of application interfaces between the system and thevarious gambling player tracking or patron management systems or otherthird-party loyalty systems, the system allows a qualified person totrade their loyalty points with other qualified persons, auction theirpoints to the highest bidder or exchange loyalty points between theperson's various loyalty accounts.

Also, according to another aspect, it is appreciated that most gamblingvenues, such as casinos, find it expensive and difficult to recruit newplayers to the extent desired and therefore focus a majority theirattention and marketing resources on retaining existing players. Inshort, it is easier and cheaper to keep existing players happy than haveto recruit new ones.

Therefore, in conjunction with player tracking systems and an instantbonusing option as described above, casino gaming operators have foundit desirable to offer their patrons extensive loyalty programs thatallow patrons to accumulate loyalty points based on how much they wager.The more the patron wagers, the more points a patron can accumulate. Theaccumulation rate, aside from the gross amount wagered, is determined bysuch factors as the odds of the game and any promotional programs (e.g.,double point days) that are running in conjunction with the loyaltyprogram. These accumulated points are typically converted or redeemed bythe patron for goods, services or cash, or a combination of all three.These redemption options are generally known as the redemption catalog.

It is well-known in the industry that the two hallmarks of a goodloyalty program are the clarity and transparency of the loyalty program.For the loyalty program to achieve its purpose (e.g., foster a sense ofownership in the loyalty account and establish the parameters by whichpoints are accumulated and redeemed), the program has to be easy tounderstand, the accumulation of points should be attainable, the pointbalance must be accessible, the redemption catalog should contain itemsthat the participants value and the redemption process should have few,if any, encumbrances.

According to one aspect, it is appreciated that it would be beneficialto have an independent system that allows players to aggregate theirvarious point balances as well as their win/loss statements into oneeasy to access, easy understand system and user interface. From theplayers' point of view, they can easily access their point balances(even if they have accounts at multiple establishments) and they caneasily understand what redemption options are available at any givenmoment. From the gaming establishments point of view, the simpler andmore transparent their loyalty program is the better the loyalty programwill perform.

By tracking the changing point balances and win/loss statement overtime, the system can infer the relative worth (e.g., visit frequency andspend per visit) of the player to each disclosed gambling loyaltymembership account as well as the total value of the qualified personbased on all their accounts. One knowledgeable about the gamblingindustry will appreciate that there is great value in knowing thisinformation and utilizing this information to entice the patron to joinanother gambling establishment's player club. In doing so, the systemcould most likely provide a sign up bonus or inducement to the playerthat is of commensurate value to worth of the player.

According to another embodiment, it is appreciated that it may be usefulto rate a player relative to other people in the same (or similar)player club(s). For instance, if a particular player has X points morethan the average number of points for all participants at that casino,that player may be determined to be more valuable. Comparison to otherplayers may provide insight into how the player club values people.Also, because a more accurate value of players may be determined, a moreaccurate relative comparison between players may be determined to permitorganizations to more effectively target valuable players.

Additionally, there is great value in allowing a third party toaggregate point balances while providing application interfacesoftware/tools (APIs) that allow the player to trade, auction orexchange points between system providers and other participants so thatthey may optimize their redemption options. Furthermore, it would behighly desirable to expand the scope of the system to allow othernon-gaming loyalty clubs to participate so that the player would havethe widest possible set of redemption opportunities. For example, aplayer may be permitted to exchange rental car points for gaming pointsso the player could redeem the rental car points for a hotel room at thegaming establishment and vice versa. Also, it is appreciated thatnon-gaming loyalty club information may be used in addition to thegaming loyalty club information to obtain a view of the player. Thus, awider view of the player (in areas other than gaming) can be used todetermine player value.

In one embodiment, the ecossystem (among other system components) mayprovide an environment that serves as a clearing house for points.According to one embodiment, not only can the ecosystem manage pointsobtained via gambling-related activities, but can manage and track otherpoint programs (e.g., airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyaltyprograms, etc.) as well. According to one embodiment, players/patronsmay be permitted to exchange different types of points for one another,bid on/purchase points, convert points between programs, among othertransactions and functions. To this end, the ecosystem may provideinterfaces and/or other types of tools that permit the players toperform such functions. For instance, the ecosystem (e.g., through aCompOffer system interface) may provide tools to match up potentialtrades between players/patrons (e.g., player X needs 50 points to reacha target point goal in a particular program A, player Y has 50 unusedpoints in program A, but needs 100 points in program B, which player Xhas). Interfaces may be provided that permit players/patrons to viewperformance of others with respect to points (e.g., a leader board forpoints).

Other tools may be provided that permit players/patrons to communicatewith one another. For instance, social networking tools or other typesof communication tools may be provided (e.g., chat functions, tagging,ticketing, voting) to enhance the experience of the player/patron, andto facilitate their use of point-based systems.

Layering

According to one embodiment, the ecosystem may provide functions thatpermit an organization to administer complimentary offers, bonuses orany other amount of offers to a player in a strategic manner to optimizethe spend performance of the player. As casinos compete for customers,their marketing campaigns become more sophisticated and the number ofincentive programs available at any given time scales. Along with this,as casinos become bigger and more massive in scale, layering ofindividual incentives across divisions as well as across campaignsbecomes increasingly regular. As casinos properties, promotions, couponsand other incentives become more sophisticated, there is a need for ananalytical system that provides one or more of the following functions:

-   -   Monitoring of multiple forms of promotions and marketing        incentives being offered through multiple systems to any one        particular individual.    -   Calculation of overlap in time and value of incentives offered        to any one particular individual    -   Tracking of the redemption of those incentives    -   Calculation of the amount of layering occurring across campaigns        in relation to that individual    -   Tracking and calculation of the value in increased layering and        decreased layering

To this end, one or more components of the ecosystem may be programmedto provide these various functions. For example, one or more componentsmay be programmed to perform a process 900 as shown in FIG. 9. At block901, process 900 begins. At block 902, an organization administers oneor more promotions/incentives. For instance, such promotions mayinclude, for example, one or more bonuses, complimentary offers, orother incentive programs. At block 903, an interface is provided to theorganization that permits one or more management functions to beperformed with respect to the incentives programs that are beingadministered as well and determining what additional incentives shouldbe applied.

According to one embodiment, at block 904, a function may be providedthat permits monitoring or tracking of all incentives that have beenoffered to the individual. In the case of a complex organization such asa casino having multiple properties and multiple campaigns, it may beuseful to organize marketing to the individual, and to monitor andoptimize incentives over time. Further, a capability may be providedthat permits the redemption of incentives by the individual to bemonitored (block 905). At block 906, the value of layering to theindividual may be tracked and optimized based on the potential worth ofthe player. At block 907, the system may calculate a proper amount oflayering to be applied to the individual to optimize their spendperformance. For instance, if the player has not been contacted or madean offer in a certain amount of time, an appropriate offer may be madeto the individual. Also, if a number of offers have been previouslymade, but the amount of those offers did not result in a conversion, theamount of future offers may be increased. Further, for those playerswhose potential value has decreased, or their theoretical spend islower, the value of offers may be lowered as a result. Such adjustmentsin promotions or incentives may be made responsive to managementinformation received regarding the player, their history, offer history,redemption history, among other information tracked within theecosystem. At block 909, process 900 ends.

Advertising Network

Typical Internet advertising is based on search terms, site content,general demographics for website visitors, geolocation by IP address ofthe browsing computer and visitor activity within the site. All of theseapproaches may be based on the concept that the website displaying theadvertising infers knowledge of the individual and their interests dueto the anonymous nature of the website visit.

Some websites have overcome the anonymous nature of the Internet byproviding access to content such as games only after the website visitorhas provided personally identifiable information about themselves. Thelevel of personally identifiable information required may vary amongwebsites, but there is the added challenge of confirming the validity ofthe information provided. Many website visitors simply enter erroneousdata or use pseudonyms and alternate information. Websites endeavor tomake the content compelling and the value proposition strong enough sothat visitors will enter the correct information, but in most casesshort of entering credit card information to purchase goods or services,there is no validation of the information.

Aspects of the present invention address one or more these issues andexpand the knowledge of the individual website visitor withoutrequesting information such as credit card data that the individualmight be reticent to give.

Most casino operators have implemented frequent player cards that areused to track individuals' play in the casino and to award complimentaryoffers for continued play. As an added feature of the player club, themembers are provided electronic access to their point balances, win/lossstatements, complimentary offers and other personalized data about theircasino activity. This set of data provides a wealth of information aboutthe player's activity that may not even be apparent to the playerhimself.

Additionally, because casinos continue to expand as entertainment venuesthat include wagering and non-wagering activities, the informationgained from the player club information is ever expanding and includesdata of value beyond the casino industry.

Furthermore, due to the ubiquitous nature of casinos, most casinopatrons are members of multiple player clubs. Combining the player clubinformation from various casino operators for an individual gives aholistic view of the patron that contains valuable information andinsight into the patron's gaming activities, finances, entertainmentchoices, travel plans, big ticket purchases, etc.

Aspects of the present invention relate to soliciting individuals toprovide their player card details for all casinos for which they aremembers of the player club. From that information, the system canautomatically query the casino's player club database, either directlyor through web services that are provided via the casino's website.Algorithms may be then used to correlate the information across thevarious casino operators and to develop an overall view of the patron.

Information that can be retrieved from the player/patron may include oneor more of the following information relating to:

-   -   demographic information    -   point balances    -   available offers    -   win/loss statements    -   casino visit recency and frequency    -   average casino win per visit (known as Average Daily        Theoretical)    -   casino dining choices    -   casino entertainment choices    -   accepted/declined offers    -   large wins    -   casino play preferences    -   play stop limits    -   casino credit line    -   links to other player club members    -   behavioral data, such as website visits (e.g., to various        interfaces to the ecosystem, other websites), games played        (e.g., games offered in a free play setting), and other        behavioral data

Using such information across multiple casinos coupled with public datasources (e.g., using demographic info) and/or private data sources(e.g., Experian credit rating information), algorithms can be used tovalidate other user-provided data and develop holistic information aboutthe patron such as:

-   -   travel plans/affinities    -   entertainment affinities    -   financial status and median income    -   value to other local casinos    -   value to destination casinos    -   overall gaming budgets, recency, frequency, intensity    -   comparison to other patrons    -   other aspects of the player/patron that would be of interest to        other establishments such as financial institutions, automobile        retailers, consumer goods providers, and other entities.

Interfaces and/or data may be provided to such entities to permit theseentities to reach and/or target advertising to these player/patrons.Taking all this information into consideration, a profile of theindividual patrons can be established, and website advertising, emailmarketing, direct marketing and telemarketing campaigns may be set upbased on these profiles, the holistic data and the basic information.The campaigns may then be run by the website that solicits the playercard information. Alternatively, the profile may be sold to theindividual casinos (where the patron is a current or potential customer)for use on their website and marketing plans.

Although the holistic information on the patron could be used by alltypes of business and industries that utilize online and offlinemarketing campaigns, this information would be particularly valuable tothe following industries:

-   -   casino    -   travel agencies    -   luxury goods    -   hotel    -   airlines    -   junket operators        Game-Based Play

According to another aspect, a method and system may be provided thatallows qualified players in a game system to play games (e.g., playvarious single and multiplayer games of chance with real-time out comedetermination or pre-determined outcome determination and single andmultiplayer games of skill with real-time outcome determination), to winloyalty points and/or other gambling offers and/or alternate currenciesto participating gambling establishments (e.g., casino, lottery or otherlawful gambling establishments), and non-gambling establishments (e.g.,airline, car rental, credit card, etc.) over an electronic medium ornetwork where the end user apparatus is an electronic device (e.g.,Computer, Mobile phone/PDA, Game Consoles, Digital Set-topbox/Interactive TV, Handhelds). Such capabilities may be provided, forexample, by a casino loyalty system (e.g., a CasinoLoyalty system asshown in FIG. 1), a consumer website for attracting potential casinopatrons (e.g., a CasinoBonus system) or any other component of anecosystem.

A qualified person (e.g., a gambling patron who is of age) may be eitherinvited to join the system or finds the system by other methods. Aqualified person, according to one embodiment, may be a person who is ofage to participate in lawful games of skill and or chance and is aperson who is or intends to be a member of a gambling establishment's(e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gambling establishments) playerloyalty club. A qualified player could be invited to join the system viaa multitude of different methods including but not limited to an onlinead, online search engine link, mobile device ad, direct mailsolicitation, a commercial (e.g., as shown on television, radio,satellite radio/TV, movie theater commercial, elevator video message,etc.), in a gambling establishment message or sign, a billboard/outdoorsignage, word of mouth, or by happenstance. Also, a qualified person maybe, for instance, a person who is already a member of a player loyaltyclub, or has the requisite qualifications to become a member.

A qualified person may be allowed to access the system for free orrequired to pay a fee to access to the system or a combination of both.In the case where the player is required to pay to access the system,there may be many methods or business models that are commonly used. Itshould also be noted that the business models listed below are notnecessarily the only ones possible. That said, the business methods orrevenue models may include a “Try and Buy” model, a “Free Web Trial”model, subscription models, among other approaches.

The “Try and Buy” model may be the simplest model to understand, and isalso the model historically associated with the Internet game industry.This model is also most similar to the shareware model that has beenaround for many years. Under this model, players may play a trialversion of a game. Trial games are limited in some way, most commonly bytime (a one-hour free trial is typical), but trial games may also belimited by features, by number of plays allowed, or by not allowing thisgame to be used to win something or by some other mechanism. Throughoutplay, the player is typically encouraged to purchase the full version ofthe game (“up-sell”). In some variants of this model, the player maycontinue playing the feature limited version indefinitely, in others theplayer must sit through increasingly intrusive reminder notices thatencourage the qualified person to purchase the game.

The Free Web Trial model is a variant on the “try and buy” model whichincludes offering a free web version of the game which can be playedwithin a web browser. Web games can generally played over and overagain, however they are typically very limited compared to the “deluxe”downloadable versions, with fewer features, less content, lower qualitysounds and graphics, etc.

There are several types of subscription models in wide-spread use. Forexample, in the “All you can eat” model, the player pays a fixed amountper month in return for unlimited play of all games in the program. Inone version of this model, the user must maintain the subscription inorder to continue playing games. When the subscription ends the player'saccess to the games also ends.

Another subscription model includes the “Book of the month” model, inwhich the player pays a fixed amount each month in return for gettingone (or more) games free. Additional games can generally be purchased ata discount.

In the “VIP membership” model, the player pays a fixed amount each monthin return for special privileges. There may also be a “Pay-for-play/AdSponsored” hybrid model whereby a player inserts currency (cash or cashequivalents), tokens or sweepstakes entries into the game or the gamesystem for each game play. One variant of this model is whereadvertisers, participating gambling establishments (e.g., casino,lottery or other lawful gambling establishments), and non-gamblingestablishments (e.g., airline, car rental, credit card, etc.) can buythe coins, tokens or sweepstakes entries and sponsor a game session thatis then free for the players.

A “Tournament/skill-based” model involves qualified players paying acash entry fee to enter a tournament and play a game. The tournament canbe as small as two players, or as large as thousands of players. Aplayer's score is posted on a leader board, and the winner (or, inlarger tournaments, winners) receives currency (cash or cash equivalentslike free slot play or chance to play for free in the gamblingestablishment), tokens, sweepstakes entries and or loyalty points to thevarious clubs to which they belong. In some instances, in order to belegal in the locations where such tournaments are offered, the gamesmust be substantially skill-based, rather than relying on luck orchance; thus the name “skill-based” to refer to this economic model.

An “Item-Buy (micro transactions)” model is a model where playerspurchase items within the system. The items are typically electroniccreations like badges, lucky charms and avatars.

According to one embodiment, to qualify as a player, the qualifiedperson completes a registration form whereby he/she is requested toidentify the gambling and non-gambling loyalty club(s) to which theybelong and then input a unique key into a registration form for eachloyalty club that he/she is a member. If they are not a member of aloyalty program and have the desire to be eligible to collect winnings,they can join the loyalty club(s) at that time.

For games that are chance based and require the player to initiate thewager, the system may only allow the player to wager currencies that arelawful (e.g., sweepstakes entries). For games that are substantiallyskill based, the system may allow the player to wager any of the lawfulcurrencies that they have banked in their account.

On behalf of the qualified person, the system may confirm theirmembership in their declared loyalty clubs by accessing their declaredaccount(s) or, if they are not a member but they wish to join aparticular club, the system may create an account on their behalf.

Players can compete in various games and win currency (cash or cashequivalents like free slot play) and or loyalty points to the variousclubs to which they belong. Some games may require an initial wager togain entrance (see above) while others are free to access. Players canparticipate in non-gaming activities to earn currency (cash or cashequivalents like free slot play) and or loyalty points to the variousclubs to which they belong. Examples of how to earn currencies mayinclude the following:

-   -   Filling out player surveys    -   Viewing advertisements from third party advertisers or        participating in gambling establishments (e.g., casino, lottery        or other lawful gambling establishments), and non-gambling        establishments activities either on property or over a network    -   Agreeing to receive emails or other communications from third        party advertisers or participating gambling establishments        (e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gambling establishments),        and non-gambling establishments    -   Customizing the player's user interface    -   Creating a home page/social networking page    -   Recruiting other qualified players to the system    -   Earning badges or other designations of success within the game        system

Through a set of application interfaces, participating gamblingestablishments (e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gamblingestablishments), and non-gambling establishments can offer or stakeprizes (e.g., sponsor the game or contest) for each game where the valueof the prize is based on the qualified player's worth or perceived worthto the sponsor.

The qualified player may redeem prizes either online or at a physicalestablishment or they may barter, exchange, auction or give away theirpoints. Through a set of application interfaces, participating gamblingestablishments (e.g., casino, lottery or other lawful gamblingestablishments) in the system can credit or deduct points, offers and orcurrencies based on how the player chooses to treat their prize.

The qualified player may set up a web page in a social networkingenvironment and host their own gaming system whereby other qualifiedplayers can compete in the same manner as the larger game system. Onedifference in such a system is that the player who owns the page isstaking the prizes or using the system tools to allow sponsors to stakethe prizes.

Through a series of tools or application interfaces, the system can alsoallow the qualified player to group other willing qualified playerstogether to diversify risk in a game in exchange for a share of any andall winnings from that game.

The system may also permit advertisers to reach the qualified orpotential players of a casino, or display any other content. Forinstance, the system may have a website through which qualified playersaccess, and ads may be displayed to such players (e.g., responsive toinformation collected regarding the players, their performance, theirdetermined value, etc.). Other information displayed to players mayinclude frequent player points leader boards that display top playersthat have earned frequent player points, and any other gameplay aspects.The system may also be adapted to display non-gameplay aspects relatedto the casino, such as locator information for gaming locations, playerexperiences/stories, chat with other players, and other content thatenhances player experiences.

Further, multiplayer games could be provided that allow differentadvertisements/awards to be provided based on player location. Forinstance, a multiplayer game may have multiple sponsors based ongeography, or other parameter (e.g., the player's profile). In anotherexample, players countrywide are permitted to play a Bingo game, butwinners in the Northeast region (or other location) are permitted toplay slots at Mohegan Sun (a sponsor) while winners in the Las Vegasarea are permitted to play slots at Harrah's Las Vegas.

Complimentary Offer System

As discussed, a system (e.g., a CompOffer system) may be provided thatpermits a player to receive complimentary offers. In one embodiment,these offers may be offers to the player to travel to or otherwise visita gaming establishment. To this end, a website or other computer-basedinterface may be provided that may permit the player to solicit offersfrom multiple gaming establishments.

According to another aspect, an online system in which multiple gamingestablishments compete for providing an entertainment package to theplayer based on rating information. In one example, a package couldinvolve other providers, such as airlines, hotels, restaurants, etc. Apackage that is determined for a particular player could be based onrating of the player, either alone or in combination with otherinformation collected on by the system. The value of the package may bedetermined based on one or more parameters of the player information.

According to one embodiment, the package offered to a player is a betterpackage (e.g., of higher value) as establishments are competing forcustomers (and may have knowledge of each other, and the packages beingoffered). Also, the package offered is more accurate, as it could bebased on more accurate rating information of the player as discussedabove.

Further, the accuracy of the package offered is additionally increased,as it could be based at least in part on information provided by theplayer, including characteristics of desired destination, location, etc.(e.g., I am traveling to Las Vegas on Month, Day, and I like these typesof games, etc.). Also, because the package is based on informationprovided by player, the package is more tailored to player desires, asconventional complimentary packages are typically determined based onlyon what the establishment determines as the package, not what the playerwants. This contrasts to conventional promotions, which are determinedbased on what excess capacity the provider might have, rather than theparameters supplied by a person/player. Thus, according to oneembodiment, a system may be provided that includes an interface thataccepts player preferences, and based on those preferences, determinesone or more complimentary offers to be presented.

Offers extended to players may also be rule-based, and may be determinedby particular parameters (e.g., Extend offer to a listing of playerstraveling on these dates to location, of average rating greater than Y).Rules may be implemented by the system that can determine under whatconditions offers are made on behalf of a gaming establishment or otherorganization. Further, the system may make available (e.g., through aninterface, an API, or other method) certain searches/queries to gamingestablishment. Such rule-based or search-related functions performed bythe gaming establishment (instead of a potential player) may permit moreeffective marketing promotions (e.g., to raise business levels duringslow periods, to move perishable inventory).

A set of interfaces may be provided that present to the usercomplimentary offers that can be accepted. Such offers may be determinedautomatically based upon the player information, what inventory isavailable, or a combination of both. There may be an associated set ofinterfaces for the organization(s) that provide(s) the offers, which maypermit them to perform functions associated with managing offers. Forinstance, interface functions may permit the organizations to monitor,create, and modify offers provided to players. Organizations may also beprovided tools that permit them to create unsolicited offers to theplayer, which can be presented in an interface of the complimentaryoffer system. Such unsolicited offers may be presented in various ways,including during a particular period of time when the offer isavailable, when the player viewing the complimentary offer systeminterface meets particular criteria, among other ways.

Further, the system may permit marketing to potential players inreal-time. For instance, ads may be displayed to a player in a computerinterface (e.g., in the display of a browser program) and may be based,at least in part, on information relating to the player. For instance,parameters collected from the player based on a complimentary offer thathe/she wishes to receive may be used to determine one or moreadvertisements to be displayed to the player in the interface. Otherinformation collected on the player (e.g., demographics information,behavioral data, etc.) may also be used to determine what advertisementsshould be displayed. Such advertisements may also serve as financialsupport for such a website, and revenue may be generated based on theadvertising performance. Advertisers (e.g., through an advertisingnetwork as discussed above) may choose to target particular players (orclasses of players) via a complimentary offer system and its associatedinterfaces.

Aspects of the present invention may be implemented, for instance, inone or more systems disclosed by way of example in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/841,754 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FORPROVIDING PLAYER INCENTIVES” filed Aug. 20, 2007, incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. Further, one or more aspects of theecosystem may work with various aspects of incentives-based systems asdescribed below. In particular, behavior of a player with one or more ofthe systems described below may be tracked and provided as inputs to ascoring engine associated with an ecosystem. Scoring results based onthose inputs may be used to determine actions by the ecosystem, such asproviding complimentary offers, bonuses, or other actions targeted tothe player.

Incentives Awarded from Website Play

According to one embodiment of the invention, parameters are establishedby which persons are invited to play an electronic game at a website.Parameters may include, but are not limited to, terms of invitation,qualification, game play type, quantity and outcome schedule, requiredactions, time periods and redemptions. All invited persons may begrouped into a single category with shared parameters or various classesof persons may be created with each category given a specific set ofparameters which may be different from parameters assigned to othercategories.

According to one embodiment, invited persons that visit the websiteduring a specified time period are allowed to play electronic gameswhere awards may be earned and then redeemed at a gaming location withina specified time period.

For example, qualified persons are selected from a general list (e.g.white pages, third party email lists, direct mail lists), targeted lists(based on demographic, geographic, or economic criteria) or from thegambling location's frequent player database and invited to play anelectronic game. As discussed above, one method of qualification mayinclude determining a “score” for that person based on a number ofinputs to a scoring engine. Based at least on that score, the player mayreceive a particular invitation.

Each invited person is assigned a quantity of game plays in which theoutcome is predetermined, either for each individual game play or for acollective of multiple game plays, before that person is actuallyinvited to play. Records indicating the quantity of games and theiroutcome are stored in a database and annotated to indicate the games areyet unplayed. Each record is linked to an identifier unique to theplayer to whom the games are assigned. In this example the identifier isthe person's player tracking identifier. Next, the invitation is sent tothe player, in this example via email or regular mail.

When the invited person visits the website, she identifies herself byentering her player tracking identifier which links the website gamechosen by the person to her pre-assigned outcomes and those outcomes arerevealed to the person as each game play concludes. The database recordfor that person is annotated to indicate each game that has been played.The person's performance of those games and their play behavior may bestored and used by an ecosystem and its associated scoring engine todetermine a player's score with respect to one or more characteristics.

The person then visits a designated gambling location and redeemsassociated awards. If the award is game play credit, she may redeem at agambling machine by inserting her player tracking card into themachine's card reader, after which the award is transferred to thegambling machine's credit meter, after which the person may use thecredits to gamble.

If the award can not be redeemed as game credits at the machinedirectly, the person may visit a player club center and presentidentification, after which the award is manually or otherwise given. Inother redemption alternatives the person may visit a redemption kiosk, arestaurant, a gift shop, a hotel representative or other place where theaward may be redeemed.

Regardless of which manner of redemption is used, the database isannotated to indicate that the redemption was fulfilled so as to preventmultiple redemptions for one award. Further, the redemption may betracked and reported to a layering management system as discussed above.Also, details of the redemption may be used by a scoring engine todetermine an updated score of the player based on the redemption.

In another embodiment of the invention, qualified persons are separatedinto categories wherein each category may offer at least one parameterwhich is different in value from a parameter offered to persons inanother category. This separation could be, according to one embodiment,performed using scoring information that reflects a persons' ADT orother characteristic.

As an example, a universe of players is divided, based upon historicalplay levels of each individual persons, into five categories. Thehighest tier, Tier 1, contains persons with an average daily theoreticalloss, also known as Average Daily Theoretical or ADT, of at least$2,000. Tier 2 includes persons with an ADT of at least $1,200, whileTier 5 contains those persons with an ADT of at least $200. Tiers arenot populated equally in this example, because far more persons reachthe $200 ADT level than the number that reaches an ADT of $2,000.

The electronic games for all 5 tiers have possible outcomes of $100,$50, $25 and $0 but the likelihood of winning each specific award isdifferent for each tier. Table 1 below indicates each award amount andits likelihood of occurrence for each tier. Of course, this is but oneexample of such a structure. It should be appreciated that, according toone aspect of the present invention, any number of tiers, and any numberof persons per tier, and assignment of any number of outcome amountswith a probability of occurrence set to any desired value from 0% to100% to each tier may be used. Further, other parameters may be includedwithin such a table of category parameters and in any combination.

TABLE I Tier # $100 $50 $25 $0 1 30% 50% 15%  5% 2 20% 50% 20% 10% 3 10%40% 30% 20% 4 10% 30% 30% 30% 5  1% 25% 44% 30%

In this example, each game outcome is determined by a random numbergenerator, as is well known to those of skill in the art, which isselected as each game is played in accordance with the probabilitiesspecified in parameters for the player's assigned category.

The awards of $100, $50 and $25 are paid as non-cashable credits, whichare amounts of credit which may be gambled in a gambling location butmay not be converted directly to cash. Awards won by wagering thenon-cashable credits may be converted to cash or replayed in additionalwagers.

Qualified persons are then invited to play electronic games on theInternet. The invitation may be extended through mail, email, personalinvitation or other method.

FIG. 12 shows an environment suitable for implementing various aspectsof the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 12, an invited personmay then play electronic games at their home computer 1210, Internetenabled cell phone 1220 or other Internet device 1230. When the invitedperson first arrives at the website, she identifies herself by enteringher player ID number, which is also assigned to the player trackingaccount at the gambling location. This identifier is used to index theplayer database 1240, where the person's electronic game parameters arestored in accordance to the category to which that person is qualified.

A small application program is downloaded to the person's computer, cellphone or other Internet-enabled device. This application randomlydetermines each electronic game's outcome according to the databaseparameters for that person. Award amounts from each outcome are storedin database 1240 along with annotations showing that an electronic gamewas completed. The person continues electronic game play until sheexhausts her supply of electronic games, again according to parametersstored in database 1240.

To redeem the awards won, the player visits a designated gamblinglocation and inserts her player tracking card into the card reader 1255of any connected gambling device 1250. The gambling location's playertracking server 1260 reads the identity code from the inserted card andrequests the identified person's award record from database 1240. Theplayer tracking server then transfers the appropriate amount ofnon-cashable credit to the gambling device 1250, which makes saidnoncashable credits available for play. As each non-cashable credit iswagered, it is deducted from the award balance maintained on database1240. According to one embodiment, when all non-cashable credits areexhausted, or time period parameters are exceeded, no additionalnon-cashable credit play is allowed.

As discussed above, various aspects of the present invention may beimplemented within various environments. For example, instead ofdownloading an application to the person's computer, the game could beentirely resident on a server-based network. Further, the game could beaccessed by the player through an interface such as the interface of thewell-known Internet Explorer browser program or the well-known Firefoxbrowser program available from Mozilla.

FIG. 13A shows another environment suitable for implementing variousaspects of the present invention. In particular, FIG. 13A shows adistributed system 1300 in which a user or customer (item 1302) receivesan invitation to play one or more electronic games. At block 1303, thesystem may deliver an invitation to the player. The invitation may bedelivered using any of the methods previously described herein.

According to one embodiment, the player may receive an invitation toplay the electronic game, and may play the electronic game on a computer(e.g., a personal computer (PC)). However, it should be appreciated thatthe user may access the electronic game on other types of computingsystems, and the invention is not limited thereto.

As discussed, the user may play a game over a distributed network suchas the Internet (item 1301). As discussed above with reference to FIG.12, the game may be a web-based game that implements one or more serversystems, such as web/application server 1306 and/or database server1305. However, it should be appreciated that other types of Internetarchitectures may be used.

Further, according to one embodiment, the user that is provided theinvitation may be identified in a player tracking system or anothercasino system. For instance, the user may be identified in a casinoplayer tracking system 1304 as shown in FIG. 13A. Although playertracking systems are implemented in casinos, it should be appreciatedthat various aspects of the invention may be applied to player trackingsystems implemented in other environments (e.g., slot parlors, racinos,amongst others).

FIG. 13B shows an example process for providing incentives according toone embodiment of the present invention. As shown, a player trackingsystem 410 may be used to conduct a promotion at a gambling location,such as a casino.

The promotion may be extended, for example, to players identified in afrequent player database or other list or data source. For instance, asshown in FIG. 13B, a patron list 1311 may be maintained which include anaccount number for the player (e.g., a frequent player identifier), thename of the player, information about the player (e.g., date of birth(DoB), email address) and any other information related to the player ordetermined by the casino about the player (e.g., the player rating,ranking, historical performance, etc.).

Based on the information maintained in patron list 1311 and/or any otherinformation (e.g., action(s) taken by the player), a promotion (e.g., abonus play promotion 1312) may be conducted that reviews the list 1311and determines, based on the information relating to the players, aresulting promotion with associated prizes. As shown in FIG. 13B, prizedata 1314 may be determined which associates the determined prize withthe player. This could be accomplished, for example, by associating anidentifier of the player (e.g., a player ID, frequent player accountnumber, etc.) with a determined prize (or class of prizes) to be awardedto the player.

Prize data 1314 may include, for example, the account number of theplayer, any award or winnings associated with the promotion that aredetermined for the player (or class of prizes the player may win), acoupon or other code associated with the promotion, and expirationinformation (if any) associated with the promotion. Such data may beused to conduct a validation process by the gambling location (e.g., acasino) when such awards are redeemed by players.

Further, such prize data 1314 may be provided to an online game providerin order to conduct an online gaming experience. To this end, the casinomay transmit or otherwise provide data 1314 to a Internet website systemto be used to conduct the online experience. The website may store thedata in a website database 1317. Thereafter, the player proceeds to playthe online game.

As discussed, the award may either be predetermined, may be determinedlater through a sweepstakes or drawing, may be determined when theonline experience is conducted, or at any time after the invitation isextended to the player. Actual revealed prize data 1316 may bemaintained that tracks what prizes were awarded to which players. Suchdata may assist in the redemption and/or validation processes. Data 1316may include, for example, the account number of the player, any actualawards or winnings determined for the player, and any coupon and/orexpiration data associated with the promotion.

During or after the online game experience, the award may be revealed tothe player, and the player is then required to return to the gamblinglocation to redeem the award. At this point, a redemption process 1315may be conducted (e.g., at the casino location). As a result of thisprocess, redemption data 1318 may be generated which tracks the playerswho have redeemed their awards. Such data 1318 may include, for example,the player account information, the actual awards or winnings determinedfor the player, and any coupon data, and the redemption date and time.

As discussed above, based on an event that occurs (e.g., an action takenby the player, an occurrence with the gambling location, amongstothers), an invitation may be generated and delivered to the user. Asdiscussed further below, the invitation may be generated in response toan action.

Incentives Awarded Based on Specific Gambling Location Activity

According to another embodiment of the invention, the person must firsttake an action or participate in an activity at a gambling location oraffiliated location in order to receive an invitation to play theelectronic game. The action or activity can include, for example:wagering a proscribed amount of money, winning or losing a proscribedamount of money, activating a player club or frequent player account,reaching a bonus round on an electronic gaming machine, being awarded amystery bonus from an electronic gaming machine, being present in thecasino when another event occurs, playing specific casino games orelectronic gaming machines, purchasing merchandise, attending an event,withdrawing money from a casino ATM, redeeming winnings, or any otheraction by a player. It should be appreciated that there is a wide rangeof ways that a person may take an action or participate in an activityat the gambling location or affiliated location, and such actions arecontemplated for use with various embodiments.

The achievement of a qualifying action may be recorded automatically bya system such as a player tracking system, ATM machines, or gamingmachines, or manually by casino personnel that observe the occurrence ofthe qualifying action or other method.

Invitations may be issued to qualifying persons by mail, email, personalinvitation or other methods. Once a person receives an invitation,he/she may proceed to play electronic games and redeems any awards won,in the manner described above.

For example, a person wagering on a Wheel-of-Fortune slot machine may beprovided an invitation when another person wagering at anotherWheel-of-Fortune slot machine wins a spin of the wheel. In one exampleimplementation, each time a wheel spin is won, all eligibleWheel-of-Fortune machines, being actively played, automatically issue aninvitation for electronic game play. In this example, tickets may beprinted by a ticket printer associated with the Wheel-of-Fortunegambling device, although it should be appreciated that the invitationmay take other forms that may not be printed (e.g., an electronicinvitation). Each printed ticket may include a code unique to thatticket. Among other parameters, the ticket code may directly orindirectly indicate the time, date, place, gambling device identifierand winning event that triggered the award.

The person holding the ticket may then visit a designated website where,after entering the invitation code, he/she is awarded a number ofcredits for electronic game play and presented with a list of electronicgames on which she may spend the credits to play.

Each electronic game is associated with a pre-assigned categorycontaining an award schedule and outcome probability. In one embodiment,some awards may be different for each category, and these awards may beassigned to all players of the category. Alternatively, each categorycould contain award values selected specifically for an individualperson or a category of personal attributed. Other assignments (e.g.,random) methods may be used that are alternative or used with the methoddiscussed above. Credits are deducted for each game played and anyawards won are accumulated in a record associated with the ticket orinvitation identifier.

The person may be required to visit a designated gambling location andredeem the awards by presenting the same ticket or code used forelectronic game play or a new ticket or code obtained after completionof electronic game play. As discussed, the player may be required toredeem the award at the casino or other gambling location, including anyaffiliated locations, such as, for example, a restaurant, gift shop,hotel, other gambling location or any other business affiliate of thegambling location. In one example, the coupon or code may entitle theholder to an amount of credit in one or more of the restaurantsassociated with the gambling location and the ticket or code is given asfull or partial payment for a restaurant purchase. Otheraward/redemption combinations involving one or more gambling locationsand affiliated locations are envisioned and are part of various aspectsof the present invention.

In another embodiment of the invention, a person may initiate play at aspecific website and win an outcome that may only be redeemed at adifferent website or a virtual world such as within Linden Lab's “SecondLife” virtual world. A winning outcome there may require a person tothen visit a specific place of business which may be a gambling site toredeem the outcome.

Purchase of Electronic Game Play

In another embodiment of the invention, qualified persons may purchaseaccess to electronic games with outcomes that award prizes which may beredeemed in gambling locations, including any affiliated locations. Forexample, a person may pay $75 to access one or more electronic gameswhere he can win awards of hotel stays, gambling currency, merchandisecredit, or other prize. In a preferred embodiment, the player isguaranteed to win at least a minimum amount above the prize of entry.For example, by paying a $75 entry fee, a qualified person is guaranteedto win an award worth $125, though he could win even more.

Such prizes may be redeemed at a particular gambling location,affiliated location or group of gambling locations or affiliatedlocations. Other prizes may be redeemed at any gambling location oraffiliated location. As discussed above and as used herein, the term“gambling location” should be construed generally to include any type ofgambling location where wagering is permitted, including, but notlimited to a land-based or other type of casino, a racetrack, racino,riverboat gambling, Internet gambling or any other environment can beplaced.

The qualified person may elect to, or be required to, choose a specificgambling location, group of locations or affiliated location or groupsof affiliated locations at which prizes will be redeemed beforeelectronic game play begins. Alternately, qualified person may elect to,or be required to, choose a specific gambling location, group oflocations, affiliated location or groups of affiliated locations atwhich prizes will be redeemed during electronic game play or afterelectronic game play is completed. In another embodiment of theinvention, qualified persons may be allowed to begin electronic gameplay without cost but be required during, or after, game play to pay afee.

One of skill in the art appreciates that collecting a fee from qualifiedpersons makes a wider range of electronic game play economicallyfeasible and realizes there are many possible permutations andcombinations of when fees are paid, the value of prizes awarded and thelocations at which prizes may be redeemed. All such permutations andcombinations are useful within the scope of the invention.

Incentives Awarded in Multiple Steps

The process by which a person receives an invitation and/or redeems anoutcome may include multiple interim steps of invitations andredemptions. In this case, the initial invitation process (as describedin the section above describing incentives awarded from website play)may be initiated by the casino operator or as a result of an actiontaken at a gambling location or affiliated location (as described in thesection above describing incentives awarded based on specific gamblinglocation activity). In both these cases the process continues asdescribed above, respectively. At the point where the electronic game isplayed, the outcome may include the invitation to play anotherelectronic game or to take an action at a gambling location oraffiliated location. At the point where the person is taking the actionat the gambling location or affiliated location, the result may includethe invitation to play another electronic game or to take anotheraction, including an action to redeem an outcome. It should beappreciated that the processes and steps described in the selectionsabove describing incentives awarded from website play and incentivesawarded based on specific gambling location activity may be incorporatedinto this method, and in one example, are incorporated. It should beappreciated that the iterations could continue in a back-and-forthmanner multiple times.

One aspect of the present invention relates to encouraging the person tocontinue to participate in the multiple, interim steps. In one example,the possible outcomes increase in value with subsequent iterations. Theperson may also be allowed to redeem an outcome at a certain point or toparlay that outcome for the chance to win something of higher value.Similarly, to encourage the person to continue to participate, there maybe interim outcomes of value for the person to redeem that are additiveto the final outcome.

Player Qualification: Data Provided or Action Taken

A player may also be qualified to receive an invitation based upon dataprovided or actions taken in response to a separate invitation. Theplayer may first be invited to play games for entertainment only (noredeemable outcomes). In order to play the games, the player would berequired to register and provide personal information (name, address,date of birth, etc). From that personal information, the system wouldqualify the player for an invitation to play an electronic game whichhas a plurality of outcomes that could be redeemed at the gamblinglocation or affiliated location.

The system could do this by comparing the personal information providedwith a database of similar information. The database could include acorrelation of demographic information with categories of player valueto the gambling location. As an example, the system could utilize adatabase of median income by address to determine the potential value ofthe player. The system could also utilize algorithms to analyze thepersonal information to determine categories of player value to thegambling location. As an example, using an algorithm, the system coulddetermine the distance between the gambling location and the player'shome address. Players living closer to the gambling location may have ahigher likelihood to visit the gambling location.

Further, as discussed above, data gathered regarding the player may becollected and provided to a scoring engine that compares the collectedinformation with profiles created within the system. These profiles areassociated with particular characteristics (e.g., propensity to gamble,theoretical ADT, etc.), and if the collected player data is more similarto a particular profile, then that player is more likely to have theparticular characteristic to be measured.

The qualification of the player may also be based on actions taken whileplaying the games for entertainment only. As an example, playerschoosing to play specific electronic games (i.e. slot machines) may beconsidered more valuable to the gambling location. For those players, adifferent invitation with different possible outcomes may be provided.Qualifying actions could be based on games played, game strategiesemployed, or duration of play.

The first invitation is not limited to the play of electronic games forentertainment only. The invitation to take an action may be to sign upfor a gambling location's frequent player card or any activity thatsolicits player personal information that could be used to estimate theplayer's value to the gambling location.

A qualification of the player may also be provided based upon gathereddata, without the need for a player action. For instance, an invitationmay be extended to the player based on player demographics withouthaving the player play a game for pure entertainment. In one example,the player may be present to receive an award based on informationcollected about the player such as location or income level.

Player Qualification: Indicators Other than Past Performance in aGambling Location

Introducing players with a propensity to enjoy the activity of gamblingto gambling locations is a valuable action, particularly if that personhas the financial means and time to gamble in significant volume. Oneaspect of the invention relates generally to estimating the worth of anuntested person, or group of persons, by comparing their personalattributes or historical conduct with those of persons known to gambleat a particular volume. If the comparison yields enough matchingcharacteristics, the untested person is considered to be qualified toreceive inducements to gamble, so that a relationship between thatperson and a gambling location can be initiated.

The offered inducement may be the chance to play a game or electronicgame. Alternatively, one embodiment of the invention includes an offerof inducement that does not involve playing a game or electronic gamebut that simply invites the person to visit the gambling location and isparticularly valuable when the gambling location has no relationship orcommunication with the person, outside of this invitation. Findingqualified persons, especially those with a likelihood of enjoying theactivity of gambling that have not visited, phoned or contacted thegambling location is a valuable benefit and the invitation alone may besufficient inducement, or the person or persons may be offered anappearance fee, free or reduced airfare to travel to the location, freeor reduced cost gambling at the location, free or reduced cost food,beverage, room or other such inducements, whether alone or incombination. It should be appreciated that there are many suchinducements that may be offered, and all such inducements areanticipated as useful within the scope of the invention.

In one example, it is determined that persons with personally managedbrokerage accounts often have an affinity for gambling. A list ofpersons with such brokerage accounts is obtained but it is too expensiveto extend an attractive inducement to all members of that list because asignificant portion of them do not have an affinity for gambling.However, it is believed that persons that reside in certain zip codestend to have a greater amount of disposable income than the average ofall people with qualifying brokerage accounts. A new list is createdincluding only of those persons with a qualifying brokerage account thatalso live within one of the qualifying zip code areas and only those soqualified persons are offered the inducement.

One embodiment of the invention begins with a list of people that mighthave an affinity for gambling and then compares the persons on that listto one or more additional lists that also contain persons that mighthave an affinity for gambling. If the same person appears on two, ormore lists, their likelihood of enjoying a gambling relationship with agambling location is higher than for those appearing on a single listand therefore are more worthy of a particular inducement than thegeneral population or persons that are members of fewer lists.

In another embodiment, a list of persons that currently do not play at aparticular gambling location(s) is obtained. Invitations may be extendedto them as a chance to play games on the Internet for prizes, at leastsome of which will incite the person to visit a gambling location. Inone example, the games and prizes may be scaled according to a perceivedvalue of player.

There are many other ways and methods by which to start with a list ofpeople believed to have, as a group, a more likely affinity for gamblingthan the general population. There are many other ways to furtherqualify members of this initial list based upon other factors, to createa new list of people that will, on average, have a higher likelihood ofan affinity for gambling in sufficient volume as to make them attractivecandidate customers for gambling locations, and therefore worth the costof providing an inducement in an effort to initiate a relationshipbetween the person or persons and the gambling location.

In one embodiment, those qualified persons are invited to play a gameusing the structures outlined in FIGS. 10 and 11. Qualified persons of agiven category may be provided different inducements than qualifiedpersons of other categories. They may be offered a chance to participatein unique electronic games, the outcomes of which, determines thespecific inducement offered. They may also or alternatively be offered adifferent set of game outcomes, different outcome award structures,different redemption opportunities or other differentiated offers inrelationship to their category of qualification. It should beappreciated that there are many ways in which various aspects of theinvention may be used to offer inducements based upon the category ofqualification of a person or persons and the invention should not belimited to just the examples described herein.

Reveal-Based Gaming System Used to Provide Incentives

As discussed above, various aspects of the present invention may beimplemented using an Internet-based computer system. One such systemincludes a reveal-based gaming system that may be used according tovarious embodiments, to provide additional incentive for a player toreturn to a gambling location. Such a system may be used to play one ormore online games, which may be then used to incentivize a player toreturn to a gambling location (such as a casino). The game may beinitiated by a player accessing a website by a gaming operator, afterwhich the game may be played.

As discussed, the player may be invited to play the online game. Such aninvitation may come from a direct mail invitation, email, websiteadvertisement, issued ticket, coupon or other type of invitation. Theinvitation may, for example, include a code that permits the player toaccess the online game. The invitation may include any number ofidentifying information, including codes that may be associated with theplayer to which the invitation was extended. In some cases, there maynot be a hard association of the invitation to the player (e.g., whenadvertising to a group of people), and the player when redeeming theinvitation may be required to provide additional information identifyingthe player. Also, as discussed, the invitation may be sent responsive toa score determination, and play of the online game may be tracked andused to update a score of the player.

FIG. 15 shows an example ticket 1501 that may be issued to a player,although it should be appreciated that an invitation may be extended toa player in other forms, and the invitation need not come in printedform. Rather, according to one aspect of the present invention, theplayer may need to be correlated to a particular invitation to permitthe player to redeem any winnings, if awarded. Such a correlation may beeffected using one or more codes, either printed or not, gaming pieces,any out-of-band messaging (e.g., a phone call) or other methods, and theinvention is not limited to any particular form of an invitation unlessexplicitly recited in the claims.

In the case where the player is issued a scratch-type ticket, the playermay scratch a surface of the ticket to reveal one or more indications.These indications may include, for example, a serial number of theticket, an access code, or other indication (or combination thereof)that may be used to access the online game. Alternatively, the ticketmay be a pull-tab ticket or other ticket type suitable for presentingindications to a player. In other embodiments, the player may bepermitted to access a website to receive an invitation, may receive ane-mail, or may receive an invitation in a non-printed form as discussedabove.

In the case where the ticket is printed, the ticket may include otherindications (e.g., a decryption key or portion thereof as describedabove that may be used to decrypt game results). Also, the ticket mayindicate to a player the number of plays of a second game (e.g., asplayed by the player on a computer system). For instance, in the case ofa slot machine game, the ticket may indicate the number of spins that aplayer may be awarded by the ticket. In the case of a COLLAPSE-typegame, the ticket may indicate the number of game instances (or plays) ofthe COLLAPSE-type game that can be played by the player. Further, asdiscussed above, the player may be permitted to play any one of a numberof offered games, and the player may select different games to play toreveal results associated with game instances. For instance, the playermay be permitted to play a number of different games, including, but notlimited to games of chance, games of skill and chance, games of skill,casino games, card games, or any other type of game. In one embodiment,the player may be awarded during the online experience, an award whichmay be redeemed at the gambling or other redemption location (e.g., aPOS location).

In one embodiment of the invention where a physical ticket is printed,ticket 1501 includes a code 1502 printed on a surface of the ticket thatprovides access to outcomes (e.g., prizes) stored on the server. Asdiscussed, code 1502 may also include, as an optional feature toincrease security, a key that may be used to decrypt the outcome. Thisoutcome may be stored in a database stored on a server system. Ticket1501 may also include a ticket identifier 1503 used to identify theticket, and which may be used to identify the outcome associated withthe ticket. Further, ticket 1501 may include a game indication 1504 thatrelates information relevant to a game played on a computer system. Forexample, there may also be stored, on the ticket, an identifier thatindicates, to the player, the number of plays associated with an onlinegame. In one example, a player is provided a ticket (e.g., for free) orotherwise purchases a ticket at a retailer or other POS location (e.g.,in a casino). In the case where there is no physical ticket associatedwith the invitation, the invitation may itself have an identifierassociated with the invitation. The invitation identifier may be uniqueto a particular player, or may be unique to a particular group ofplayers to which the invitation is extended.

The player then proceeds to play a game on a computer system. FIG. 14shows an example system 1400 according to one embodiment of theinvention upon which a game may be played. The user (a player) 1410plays a game through an interface of a host computer system (e.g. host1401). Host 1401 may be any type of computer system that is capable ofplaying a game. The host may be, for example, a general-purpose computersystem (e.g., a personal computer (PC)) that connects to a network(e.g., the Internet). Other general purpose computer system types (e.g.,a PDA, a cell phone, set-top box, or other system type) may be used toplay the game.

The computer system may be coupled to a server system 1403 through oneor more communication networks 1402, including, but not limited to, theInternet. The server may provide a game program 1409 that is executed byhost 1401 for playing the game. More particularly, game program 1409,when executed, may provide an online game that can be played by a userthrough an interface associated with host 1401. This online game may be,for example, a video slot machine, blackjack, or other online orcasino-type game.

The game program may be stored, for example, in a computer-readablemedium (e.g., a memory, storage, or other media) associated with server1403 that provides game programs. For instance, the game program may bestored on a web server and downloaded to a client computer over theInternet. Game program 1409 may be one of a number of game programsassociated with an online game experience. Different game programs maybe selectively downloaded to the client, based on the type of gameticket issued, the game selected for play by the user, the type ofclient used, or other criteria.

Server 1403 may also be a general-purpose computer system, or any othertype of computer system capable of authenticating tickets, providinggame programs, and performing other game-related functions. Further, itshould be appreciated that various game functions may be performed byone or more server systems. Server 1403 generally includes a processor1404 for executing server-based game functions. Server 1403 may alsoinclude a memory 1405 for storing data associated with game programs.Server 1403 may also include one or more network interfaces 1406 thatcouple server 1403 to network 1402, which permit server 1403 tocommunicate with one or more hosts. Further, server 1403 may include oneor more storage entities 1407, including disks or other media forstoring data. In one embodiment, storage 1407 is adapted to store one ormore game programs 1409 as discussed above. Server 1403 may have anynumber or type of processor that executes an operating system and one ormore application programs. In one embodiment, server 1403 provides webserver content to one or more clients for the purpose of accessing andplaying the game.

Server 1403 may also include a database 1408 that is adapted to storeone or more outcomes associated with a ticket or other gaming piece. Asdiscussed, the outcome may be indexed using an identifier of the ticket.

FIG. 16 shows one example process for conducting a game according to oneembodiment of the present invention. At block 1601, process 1600 begins.At block 1602, a player is issued a ticket or is otherwise provided aninvitation to play an online game (e.g., using any of the invitationmethods described above). In one embodiment, a player may purchase or isotherwise provided a ticket at a retailer, casino, or other POSlocation. In another embodiment, the invitation is provided free ofcharge. As discussed, the invitation may be provided based on somequalification of the player.

At some later time and/or location, the player may play an online gameon one or more computer systems (e.g., a PC or other computer systemcapable of playing games). For instance, at block 1603, a host computersystem (e.g., host 1401) executes a game program. The game program maybe, for example, an online game that includes one or more componentsdownloaded over a communication network (e.g., the Internet).

As discussed, the ticket may include a code which is used to access theoutcome of a game. This code may be printed on a face of the ticket asdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 15. In one example system, theplayer accesses a website that includes an interface in which the playermay enter the code at block 1604. In the case where no physical ticketis issued, there may be other methods for associating a invitation to aparticular player or group of players and an outcome of an award to beprovided to the player and/or group of players.

This interface may be, for example, used to access the game, or may beany other interface (e.g., an interface used to access a downloadwebsite used for downloading game software (e.g., game program 1409)).The interface may be programmed in one or more computer languages (e.g.,an HTML, Java, Macromedia Flash, or other type interface) and mayinclude a text entry box in which the player can input the code. Theinterface may include other ways of entering a code or other parameter(e.g., a glyph printed on a ticket) that allows the user to gain accessto the game. It should be appreciated that the invention is not limitedto any particular method for entering the code, or any format of thecode, and that any type of code or method of entry may be used.

The player enters the code, and an outcome is determined at block 1605based on the code. More particularly, there may be a mapping between thecode printed on the ticket and an outcome stored on the server. Thiscode may be stored, for example, in a database structure stored indatabase 1408 of the server. Database 1408 may be, for example, arelational database, object database, flat file database, or otherorganizational entities used to store and maintain data. Further alisting of winning codes may be furnished to an organization thatprovides the game (such as, for example, a state-run lottery commission,casino operator, etc.). The code may, as discussed above, include anoptional decryption key that decrypts an entry stored on the server.This entry may indicate one or more outcomes of game instances.

The outcome of the game is then used by the online game to determineplay of the game by the player at block 1606. For instance, if thestored outcome is “Win $50,” the online game may present an outcome tothe player that indicates that the player won a $50 prize. Thispresentation may be in the form of one or more reveals presented to theplayer while playing the online game at block 1607. The presentation maybe progressive, in that the ultimate outcome (e.g., “Win $50”) isachieved through a set of reveals or progressions through the onlinegame. For example, in the case where a COLLAPSE-type game is playedwherein items are collected for playing in a second level game, suchreveal outcomes of each instance of the COLLAPSE-type game may be storedon the server.

As discussed, prizes may be distributed over game instances and/or items(or more generally, win opportunities) to maximize game interest and toentice the player to play each game instance associated with aparticular ticket. For example, one approach may include providing tothe player an early (relative in the series of game instances)indication of winning to keep the player interested. As the player playsmore game instances, the magnitude of the prizes may be adjusted suchthat a level of game “drama” is increased. That is, prize values areadjusted among later game instances to provide relatively higher prizevalues in later games. Other approaches/distributions may be providedfor increasing or maintaining game interest.

Once played, the player may redeem the ticket at the point of sale orother redemption location (e.g., a gambling location such as a casino)at block 1608. Alternatively, the player may be permitted to redeem theticket without playing the game. Redemption may be permitted, forexample, after a predetermined time. For instance, the player may bepermitted to redeem a ticket after a set time (e.g., 10 PM), aparticular time period after ticket purchase (e.g., 24 hours) or otherabsolute or relative time. This may be the case for a Keno orlottery-based system, where a Keno or lottery result is made availableat a set time after the ticket or other type of invitation was providedto the player. Alternatively, tickets may be redeemed immediately afterthey are provided to the player to entice the player to remain at thegambling location. According to one embodiment, the player may bepermitted to redeem the ticket (and winning result) any time afteraccessing the game. At block 1609, process 1600 ends.

Payouts may be determined by a pay table associated with the game. Thenumber of tickets may be determined a priori, and a pay table thatdetermines payouts may be allocated to the tickets. This allocation maybe determined, for example, by shuffling the pay table and allocatingresults to tickets. The following is an example of a pay table that maybe used with a game according to one embodiment of the invention:

-   Number of Tickets Issued: 2000-   Ticket Price: $5

TABLE II Example Payout Table Number of Tickets Payout 1 $100  700 $10500  $5 100  $1 600  $0 Game Operator Return: $300 (3%) − expenses

As shown in the example above, a certain number of tickets may beallocated as winning tickets having a particular payout (e.g., anoutcome). Some tickets may have no payout associated with them, and somemay only have a nominal payout (e.g., a small award amount, free ticket,etc.). A small number of tickets may include a large payout as comparedto the magnitude of other payouts. It should be appreciated, however,that payouts are not limited to money, but other types of prizes may beawarded including merchandise, credit, loyalty points or any otherrepresentation of value. As discussed above, it is appreciated that itwould be beneficial to provide a great enough reward to encourage theplayer to return to the gaming location. Thus, according to oneembodiment, the player may be provided an appropriate award thatproperly incentivizes the player to redeem their award (and return tothe gambling location).

The odds of winning may be the type of odds experienced in actual(rather than computer-based) games. Alternatively, the odds of winningmay not necessarily be “natural” odds of winning any particular type ofgame, but rather, the odds may be adjusted to obtain the outcome desired(e.g., by the gaming operator). The odds of winning, number of winningtickets, amount of payout per ticket, or other payout parameter may beany amount or number, and the invention is not limited to any particularodds of winning, number of winning tickets, payout amount or type ofpayout. However, according to one embodiment, the overall odds ofwinning, amount and type of payout, etc. may be similar to a gamepreviously approved by regulators (e.g., scratch ticket games, Keno,bingo, etc.) so that the use of an additional game to display an outcomeassociated with the previously-approved game is scrutinized much less byregulators, and as a result, the approval of the additional game is lessburdensome. To this end, a system associated with thepreviously-approved game may provide ticket and outcome information to asystem conducting an online game (e.g. server 1403).

The code stored on the server (e.g., server 1403) may be used todetermine game play as played on the computer system. For instance, thegame outcome may be “Win $50.” In the case of a slot machine-type game,the ticket may indicate that the player receives 10 spins of the slotmachine. The outcome of each spin may be predetermined, and the game mayretrieve information from the server indicating a predetermined sequenceof game play as discussed above. In the case of a slot machine-typegame, the predetermined sequence may indicate the winnings associatedwith each of the spins. In the case of a COLLAPSE-type game, the outcomeof each instance of the second level game may be stored on the serverand retrieved prior to game play.

In another example, only the overall outcome is predetermined (e.g., thetotal winning associated with the ticket), and the sequence of game playmay be determined when the game is played. In the example above wherethe player is indicated as winning $50 over 10 spins, the $50 winnings(and any intermediate losses) may be allocated to the player at anypoint over the 10 spins. In the case of the COLLAPSE-type game, winningsmay be allocated across game instances. In a further example, winningsmay be allocated across items collected while playing the COLLAPSE-typegame. Because the number of items collected may vary depending on theskill of the player, the distribution of prizes among collected itemsmay be determined during game play by the game playing system. Thus,according to one embodiment, the player's skill (or lack thereof) doesnot affect the overall outcome of the game.

This allocation may be determined by the server, the game softwareexecuting on the client, or a combination thereof. Further, the gameplay may be randomized in that a further play using the same ticket mayyield a different sequence of game states leading to the same outcome.For example, in the case of a slot machine game as described above, aplayer may be indicated as winning $50, but the sequence by which theplayer attains the $50 winning outcome may be different depending onvarious factors. Such factors may include a randomization function thatdetermines results of individual game plays (e.g., in the case of aseries of “spins,” the result of each spin), or some other function. Theseries of intermediate outcomes may be stored in a database associatedwith the server as discussed above with respect to game outcomes. Also,the outcomes may be adjusted using a formula or rule-based approachduring execution of the game to increase the game drama and heighten thegame playing experience.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a player maypurchase a ticket at a point of purchase (e.g., a convenience store) andthe indication of a win/no win condition of the ticket is revealed on adifferent medium. For instance, a player purchases a scratch ticket in aconvenience or other type of store. The prize that the player wins isnot revealed on the scratch card itself, but rather the prize isrevealed through another medium (e.g., on a home computer system, PDA,cell phone, etc.).

For instance, as discussed above, the player may be presented anothergame (e.g., a slot machine or COLLAPSE-type game as described above)that reveals at least a portion of the prize. The underlying prizesavailable via the reveals may be predetermined, in that the outcome ofthe game may be stored in one or more systems. The scratch ticket mayreveal different numbers of plays (e.g., pulls in the case of aslot-machine type game, or game instances of a COLLAPSE-type game) theplayer receives. As discussed, the game could be any type of game, andthe type and number of plays may be any number and may be selectedaccording to the type of online game being played.

In one aspect of the present invention wherein a physical ticket isissued, the ticket may include authentication information that is usedto obtain the reveals. In one example, the scratch ticket contains asecret key which is used to decrypt the results that are revealed to theplayer. That is, according to one aspect, it is impossible to determineif and what a particular ticket wins without having possession of theticket (and therefore the secret key). In another example, the scratchticket could contain only a portion of the secret key. The other portionof the key may be stored, for example, on a server and retrieved from adatabase (e.g., file, relational database, etc.) based on, for example,the serial number of the card. Mappings of serial numbers of tickets toencrypted results can be provided to the lottery, casino, or otherprovider for additional audit control.

A process for performing secure access to outcomes is shown in FIG. 17.At block 1701, process 1700 begins. A server (e.g., server 1403) maystore a number of outcomes in encrypted form, each of which outcomes canbe accessed by a respective code. These outcomes may be encrypted, forexample, using any encryption method (e.g., symmetric, asymmetricencryption) as is known in the art. At block 1702, a code is provided tothe server (e.g., server 1403).

This code may be, for example, a secret code (e.g., a symmetric key, aprivate key) printed on a ticket and provided to the server by a userthrough an interface of a computer system as discussed above. Thereceived code may be transmitted between systems using a securetransmission method (e.g., SSL) as is known in the art. The receivedcode is used at block 1703 to decrypt the outcome stored on the server.This code may be any decryption key type that may be used to decodedata, and may be of any format or length. The decrypted outcome may thenbe presented to a player at block 1705. The outcome may be displayedusing any method. For example, as discussed above, the outcome may bepresented through one or more reveals presented to the player duringplay of an online game. At block 1705, process 1700 ends.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a lottery-based,casino-based, or any other type of software game that can be played overa network, such as the Internet. According to one embodiment, the systemincludes a purchase of a scratch-based or printed ticket by a player ata point of service (POS). A POS may be, for example, a place at whichlottery tickets may be sold, including convenience stores or otherlocations where lottery products are provided. In an alternative systemprovided at a casino or other gaming establishment, a ticket may be soldto a player at the casino for play at a later time. In yet anotherembodiment, the ticket or other invitation type need not be purchased.Also as discussed, the invitation need not be printed and according toanother embodiment, may be provided to the player with or withoutpurchase.

The player receives the ticket or other form of invitation at the POS orother location (e.g., a casino), and proceeds to play a computer-basedgame at another location to reveal a result (or outcome) of the game.The computer-based game may be, for example, a casino-type game (e.g.slot machine, video poker) or other type of game, including amusementgames or games of chance. In the case of the scratch or printed ticket,the result is not apparent to the player until the player plays thecomputer-based game. This game may be, for example, a software programthat is downloaded and played over the Internet. Alternatively, otherways of accessing the online portion of the game may be used (e.g., PDA,cell phone or other method).

The ticket includes a code by which a player gains access to a resultstored on a server that stores ticket information and results associatedwith each ticket. Such information may be predetermined at the time ofticket sale, or the results may not be known until a later time, afterthe ticket is issued to the player (e.g., in the case of a Keno, bingo,or other drawing-based system). The result may be determined by anynumber of factors, including but not limited to, data regarding theplayer (e.g., income, residence, etc.), the player's historical play ata gambling location, the player's play performance in an online game, orany other criteria that may be used to determine an award.

According to one embodiment, the code is an access key (or a portionthereof) that is used to access the result stored on the server.Further, the result (stored in the server) may be encrypted. Forexample, the code may be a private key or a symmetric key. The key maybe transmitted by a client computer system to the server for the purposeof decrypting the result using SSL or any other secure method.

Because the decryption key is stored on the ticket, the gaming system issafer, as a breach of security of either the tickets or the server doesnot provide access to result information. More particularly, access tothe lottery ticket database or other database type may not beaccomplished without the ticket (used to decrypt the result). Further,the tickets may not be correlated to results without the lottery ticketdatabase (because the results are stored in the database, not on thetickets).

In another example of the system, a portion of the key used to decryptresults of the game is stored on the ticket, and another portion isstored in the database of the server. In this manner, it is assured thatpossession of either portion of the key may not compromise the results.

However, it should be appreciated that the system does not require SSLor any other encryption/decryption method, a decryption key on theticket, or the stored result on the server to be encrypted. Rather, thegame can be implemented with or without these features. That is, accessto the outcome stored at the server may be performed using only theserial number or other ticket identifier provided on the ticket or withthe invitation.

The scratch-based or printed ticket may also include a second serialnumber or other identifier (e.g., an access code) in addition to theserial number or other identifier which is correlated to results on theserver. A ticket may include both a serial number and a ticketidentifier used by the system. According to one embodiment, it isappreciated that there may be security issues with using the serialnumber of a printed ticket (as printed on the ticket) to correlate towin outcomes. That is, in the case of a lottery-based system, thelottery provider may not allow any entity outside of the lottery systemto have the ability to correlate outcomes to serial numbers. To thisend, another identifier (e.g., a separate ticket identifier or accesscode) may be provided on a ticket to allow the system to index into anoutcome database.

In one example system that works in association with a lottery system,outcomes for a game may be predetermined to comply with lottery rules.In this case, outcomes are predetermined and stored in a database. In analternative environment where results are not permitted to bepredetermined (e.g., in a casino), but rather are determined at a latertime (e.g., by a drawing or other method), a ticket issued by a systemin such an environment may have an associated drawing time when a gamemay be played. It should be appreciated however, that the award providedto a player may either be predetermined or not, and if notpredetermined, may be the result of some later determination, such as adrawing, the result of a random number generator, etc.

Also, according to one embodiment, the player may be entered into asweepstake or any other later-determined award based on an action thatis performed in the gambling location. As discussed, the player mayswipe his/her frequent player program number at a gambling location(e.g., a casino) and as a result, be entered into a sweepstake or othertype of later-determined result. The result may be then later-determined(e.g., when the player participates in an online gaming environment), ispresented the result of the sweepstakes which includes an award that maybe redeemed upon return of the player to the gambling location.

In the specific case where the online game system is driven by a Kenogame result, each ticket may be associated with a set of numbers in theKeno game, and the result of the Keno game is provided as the result forthe online game. In one example, a computer system automatically picksnumbers associated with the ticket at the point when the ticket isissued. Thereafter, when the Keno game occurs, the result of the Kenodraw is provided to an online game system, which translates the Kenoresult to a game experience within another game (e.g., COLLAPSE, slotmachine, etc.). It should be appreciated, however, that although thegame of Keno may be used to drive an online game experience, other games(e.g., bingo) may be used.

The server (e.g., server 1403) may be capable of accepting, from theuser, an input of the serial number and decryption key, and in response,providing the results associated with the particular ticket. The resultor outcome of the game may be displayed to the player in an interface ofthe computer system (e.g., a client computer system such as a personalcomputer (PC)) used to play the computer-based game. For example, theoutcome of a series of plays associated with the ticket may be stored inthe server, and provided to the client, and the series of outcomes maybe presented to the player during play of the computer-based game.

In another embodiment of the system, a payout of the ticket may beencoded on the ticket. For instance, if the ticket is a $5 winner, theamount of the win may be encoded on the ticket. In the case of thecasino-based version of the system, the payout may not be stored on theticket (as the payout is not predetermined), but rather the purchaseprice of the ticket may be stored on the ticket, or some otheridentifier of the ticket.

As shown in FIG. 18, a system 1800 may be provided having more than oneserver. For instance, a server 1802 provided at the point of sale 1801is primarily responsible with issuing tickets to a user/player 1806. Tothis end, server 1802 may issue preprinted tickets or may issue ticketsprinted from an associated printer 1805. Such tickets may include one ormore identifiers as discussed above with reference to FIG. 15. Asdiscussed, another system such as a Keno or lottery-based system may beused to provide results to an online game system.

In one version of system 1800, the win/loss determination of a ticketmay be driven by a later-occurring drawing. For example, a Keno-based,bingo-based, or other type lottery draw system may be used wherein theoutcome of a particular game is not known until a future time (e.g.,when a drawing occurs). In this case, the ticket identifier stored onthe ticket may be an access code generated from ticket identifiers inthe Keno-based system (e.g., by an intermediate system or the Kenoserver itself that can translate a Keno ticket identifier into anothertype of identifier).

Generation of an identifier separate from the Keno ticket identifier maybe necessary for security reasons relating to the Keno system. Moreparticularly, access to the Keno ticket identifiers may not be permittedby the system (e.g., the Keno server). In one example, a Keno systemtranslates Keno ticket identifiers into access codes and results thatare stored on the game server (e.g., server 1803). Thereafter, clients(e.g., hosts 1804A, 1804B) access results stored on the server based ontheir respective access codes.

As discussed above, one or more hosts 1804A, 1804B (e.g., generalpurpose computer systems) may communicate with a server 1803 over anetwork for the purpose of conducting a game. In one example, a host1804A renders a browser window by executing a browser program (e.g., theInternet Explorer browser program available from the MicrosoftCorporation). A user/player 1806 enters a URL address specified by anissued ticket in a window of the browser interface, and is directed to awebsite associated with server 1803. This website may be rendered by,for example, a WWW server process (e.g., server 1807) associated withserver 1803.

Player 1806 may be instructed to enter an access code (and/or any otherrequired information) to access one or more games in an interfacepresented through the browser. As discussed, server 1803 may validatethe received access code, and provide any results stored in a databaseassociated with server 1810. Once validated by server 1803, the user maybe permitted to play one or more games. These game may be, for example,be programmed using one or more programming languages (e.g., MacromediaFlash) and may be downloaded to host 1804A and executed.

Also, outcomes associated with any games may be downloaded prior to gameplay. As discussed, examples of games include those that may be of thelottery-type (e.g., having a predetermined outcome) and those that arecasino-based (e.g., having an outcome that is not determined at the timeof sale of the ticket). In the case where a later drawing affects anoutcome, a player may not be permitted to play the game until thedrawing occurs (and until results are available at server 1803). In thecase of a drawing that affects outcomes, drawing results can becommunicated from server 1802 to server 1803. In addition, server 1802may maintain a mapping from a ticket identifier (e.g., a serial number)to an access code provided on the ticket, and provide a mapping ofoutcome to access code when the drawing occurs. As discussed, suchoutcome information may be maintained in a database 1810 associated withserver 1803 and may be accessed through a database server process 1809.

As discussed, the payout of the award may be displayed to a player in anumber of ways. For instance, the payout of the ticket may be presentedto the player through one or more reveals presented to a player duringone or more plays of an online game.

For instance, in the case of a slot machine game, a player may bepermitted, with the issue of a single scratch or printed ticket, aseries of spins of the slot machine. The slot machine may, as the resultof each of the spins, produce results that contribute to the overallpayout to the player. For instance, after a single spin, a player may bepresented an indication that he/she has won $5. The payout to the playeras provided from the server database may be, for the series of spins,$50 overall, with particular outcomes for each spin. Additional spinresults may provide the additional $45 that the player will receive.Additional spins may add, subtract, or have no affect on thecontribution to the outcome of the game. These results of each spin ofthe slot machine game may be stored in the database of the serverindexed by the ticket identifier, or may be randomly determined by thegame program that renders the game. Further, as discussed above, theresults of each spin may be “scripted” such that the game experience ismore exciting to the player.

For example, in the case where the results of each spin are stored onthe server, the series of results may be downloaded to the client at thebeginning of the game as a series of entries, and the client may revealeach result as the player progresses through the series of spins. In therandom method, results for each individual spin are not predetermined,but rather are determined by the client in a random manner. Forinstance, the actual outcomes of each spin may be randomly chosen amongthe possible combination of outcomes that may produce the requiredpayout. In either case, the outcomes for each spin of the slot machinegame is not stored on the ticket, but rather is stored at the server anddownloaded just prior or during game play, or is determined randomly bythe client. Alternatively, the client may determine the game experiencebased on a predetermined set of rules or formulas that, when an overalloutcome is provided, allows the client to determine intermediateoutcomes in a dynamic way. Because the game play and outcome arescripted, a player may also not play the game (and possible secondarygames) to actually win. A player may purchase a ticket, wait until theticket may be redeemed, and go to a POS to find out (and if necessary,receive) his/her winnings. A ticket may be allowed to be redeemed aftera predetermined period of time after the drawing independent of whetherthe player has played the game. A ticket may be able to be redeemedafter a predetermined period of time, from almost immediately to secondsto days or any predetermined time. For tickets with results dependentupon results of a particular Keno game or other event, the ticket maynot be redeemed until after the event has passed.

In another alternative, the game results achieved by the online portionof the game may be separate from the award that is redeemed in thegambling location. For instance, the game may be a game for pureentertainment, having a result that is not correlated with the awardprovided to the player. However, the player may be required to play theonline game to reveal the award.

Finally, after play of the online game, the player is permitted tovalidate the ticket or invitation at any gambling location (e.g., POS1801 (for example, a lottery agent, casino, or other gamingestablishment)) to redeem his/her winnings as indicated during theonline portion of the game. According to one embodiment, the playerredeems an award of non-cashable credits, cash, or other type of awardthat can only be redeemed at the redemption location, encouraging theplayer to return to the redemption location.

According to one embodiment, players are permitted to redeem theirwinnings only after playing the online portion of the game. The player,by playing the online portion of the game, sets status information atthe server (e.g., server 1803). When the player attempts to redeem theticket at the gambling location (e.g., POS 1801), the status informationmay be checked, and the player is permitted to redeem his/her winnings.To this end, server 1803 may communicate information back to server 1802relating to game play.

For instance, server 1803 may collect information that indicates thesequence of game play performed at the client, and other player trackinginformation. In one example, tickets may be associated with a particularplayer, and the player may be awarded loyalty points or other credit forplaying the game. Because the inventive game may award prizes such as,for example, a non-cashable credit for playing additional games, acomplimentary offer, and/or promotional prizes, the inventive game maybe used as a method for providing additional player incentives to returnto a gambling location or other gaming establishment.

Online Reveal-Based Game Implementation

As discussed, various aspects of the present invention may beimplemented in an electronic game. For instance, a player may be invitedto play one or more instances of an online game (e.g., played over theInternet) in which the player may be awarded one or more prizes whichmay be redeemed at the gambling location. Such games may include gamesof chance, skill, or combination thereof. In one example, the game mayinclude one or more instances of a COLLAPSE-type game as discussedabove, however, it should be appreciated that any other game type may beused.

Taking a COLLAPSE-type game, a player is issued a ticket at a POS toplay one or more instances of the COLLAPSE-type game. The ticketindicates an access code, and the player uses this access code to gainaccess to the system (e.g., from a host coupled to server 903 throughthe Internet). The player enters the access code in a user interface,and, once validated, is permitted to play the COLLAPSE-type game. Asdiscussed, the COLLAPSE-type game is a version of the well-known game ofCOLLAPSE, which is a game of skill-based puzzle game. Optionally, theplayer is permitted to play, based on a single access code (and ticket),any one of a number of games available from server 1803. Such an optionmay allow a player to play different games for each game instanceassociated with the ticket.

FIG. 19 shows an example game interface 1900 according to one embodimentof the present invention. The COLLAPSE-type game involves an interface1900 that has a grid 1901 of elements (e.g., element 1902). Similarelements within grid 1901 may be identified by color, shape, or anyother indication. One or more new lines of elements (e.g., line 1903)are fed into the bottom of the grid periodically.

A player removes groups of similar elements by selecting them within thegrid, and the player is awarded points based on the number of elementsremoved. For example, similar elements may be indicated by color, andgroups of similarly-colored elements may be removed from the grid. Inone example, groups of three elements can be removed. Removal of largergroups of similarly-indicated elements may provide more points thansmaller groups. It should be appreciated, however, that elements mayhave one or more indications that represent that they are similar, andthe invention is not limited to any particular indication(s). Further,it should be appreciated that any number of elements may be removed aspart of a group, and the invention is not restricted to any minimumnumber of element that may be removed.

Lines are moved into a preview area 1905 associated with interface 1900that permits the player to anticipate what element types are beingplaced into grid 1901. Lines of elements may be moved into the grid at apredetermined rate, and the rate may be adjusted from time to timeduring game play. In one example, elements may be fed into the previewarea from left to right, and when a line of elements is complete, theline of elements is pushed into grid 1901. The COLLAPSE-type game endswhen the grid overflows with elements or a final line (e.g., of apredetermined number of lines) is fed into grid 1901. As an additionaloption, a player may bypass play of the COLLAPSE-type game by selectinga “Reveal All” element 1904 within interface 1900. Selection of element1904 may cause the COLLAPSE-type game to end and may allow the player toprogress to a second level game.

As discussed above, the second level of the game may be played withitems collected during the COLLAPSE-type game. Also, as discussed, theseitems may be hidden within elements of the grid (e.g., grid 1901) andreleased as elements are removed. In one version of the game, items suchas spins of a wheel or sticks of dynamite (a.k.a. “hotsticks”) arelocated within elements in the grid. Items (spins, sticks, etc.) areaccumulated and used in the second reveal-type game to reveal a payoutor other type of prize. As shown in interface 1900, there may be a prizewindow 1906 in which prizes are awarded.

Window 1906 may indicate a number of available prizes, and may includean interface control (e.g., spin control 1907) that allows the player toinitiate the second level of the game. Window 1906 may be a part of orseparate from a window that includes grid 1901. After the player selectscontrol 1907, window 1906 indicates what, if any, prize is won.Interface 1900 may also include an indication of the number of spins orother items remaining to be played by the player in the second levelgame.

In the example game discussed above having one or more elementscontaining hidden items (e.g., safes), sticks of dynamite or other itemscollected may be used to uncover the hidden prizes in the second levelportion of the game. For instance, winnings (e.g., cash prizes) revealedwithin opened safe elements are awarded to the player. In one example,the reveal of the number of sticks awarded to a player may be randomizedby the client computer, with at least one stick awarded to the player toallow the player to open at least one safe.

After play of the second level game, game play is returned to anotherinstance of the first level game (e.g., the COLLAPSE-type game). Theplayer may, however, choose to play a different game (e.g., a card gameor other game) at the conclusion of any particular game instance. Theplayer may be permitted to play further instances of the COLLAPSE-typegame, with each level of the Collapse-type game leading to a secondlevel wherein prizes are revealed. These intermediate prize amounts thatare revealed with each instance of the COLLAPSE-type game, as discussedabove, may be stored in a database of the server, and provided to theclient prior to or during game play. Alternatively, intermediate prizeamounts may be determined at the client in a random manner (e.g., byrandomly selecting a possible combination of intermediate prize amountsthat total the overall prize awarded to the player). In another example,a game may be determined dynamically by the game system or client basedon one or more rules. These rules may be tailored so that the overallresult is revealed by the game system in an interesting way.

For instance, the ticket may have an overall prize value of $50, and theprize awarded at each instance of the COLLAPSE-type game may accumulateto form the $50 prize. There may be a finite number of combinationsbased on the number of game instances to achieve a $50 prize, and theactual game experience presented to the player may be a random selectionof the finite outcomes. In any case, the result of each game instance iseither stored at the server or is determined randomly or dynamically bythe client as discussed above.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is realized thatthe time at which a ticket or other invitation type is activated (andtherefore, may be played) is important. In the case of a casino-basedgame, where an invitation is provided at the casino (e.g., in the formof a ticket or other invitation type), it may be beneficial to include adelay between the time that the invitation is provided (e.g., purchaseof a ticket at the casino) and a possible redemption of the ticket (on areturn visit of the player to the casino) so that the game playassociated with the ticket does not compete against other games offeredby the casino (e.g., floor games). For example, in the case of a slotmachine game, it may be preferable that such a game be activated afterthe player leaves the casino, or otherwise is not playable while in thecasino so as not to compete with other types of slot machine games orother game types offered by the casino.

Further, another benefit of introducing a delay between ticket issuanceand activation includes increasing the likelihood that the player playsthe game at another location (e.g., at home), requiring the return ofthe player to the ticket redemption location to redeem his/her winnings.Because the player needs to return to the redemption location (which maybe a casino), the possibility that the player will purchase additionaltickets or play other types of games offered at the redemption locationis increased.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a COLLAPSE-typegame is conducted that may include the following additional aspects,either alone or in combination:

-   -   The game begins with a fixed number of lines of colored elements        already positioned on the game grid (e.g., grid 1901) and        available to be selected by the user (or player).    -   New elements fill the bottom and/or the top of the screen, from        left to right, one at a time, but are not available to be        selected. When a row is complete, the line of elements is pushed        onto the game grid and added to those elements in active play.        Alternatively, new elements may fill the game grid from any        edge, including from the right and/or left side.    -   Selecting the preview area as lines are being formed causes the        preview area to fill with elements and the elements to be added        to the active play area.    -   The user can clear elements from the active area by selecting        any three or more same-colored elements that are touching.    -   When a user positions a selection device (e.g., a mouse pointer)        over a group of elements that are eligible to be cleared, the        group of elements changes in appearance.    -   When elements are cleared, the elements above fall downward and        toward the center to fill any void created by removed elements.    -   When the user clears an element that contains a dynamite stick        (or other item) in it, that stick is placed to the right of the        game board for use in the second level game (e.g., a prize        round).    -   When the stack of elements comes within a predetermined number        (e.g., three) of rows of the top of the game area, a warning        area flashes.    -   If the elements reach the top of the game area, the        COLLAPSE-type game ends and the user is taken to the second        level game.    -   If the user collects a predetermined number (e.g., six) of        dynamite sticks, the COLLAPSE-type game ends, and the user is        taken to the second level game.    -   The user begins the game with one dynamite stick collected for        him/her.    -   At the second level game, the user is presented with a grid, 6        by 6, of safes.    -   The user selects a button and the first dynamite stick is used.    -   The stick begins at the top left most safe and moves over each        safe in turn, from left to right, top to bottom, one at a time.    -   The safe that the stick stops at is blown open to reveal either        a cash amount or other prize type or an indication that no prize        is awarded.    -   If multiple sticks are available for use, each subsequent stick        starts at the safe immediately after the safe that was blown        open.    -   The sticks skip over safes that have already been opened.    -   At the conclusion of the game, the user is presented an        indication that the second level game is over and an indication        of any prize(s) awarded.        The overall result (e.g., payout) for purchasing a ticket may be        predetermined (as in a scratch or other type of instant lottery        game) or may be determined by a later event (such as a lottery,        Keno, or bingo draw) that occurs after ticket issuance.        Frequent Player Tracking System Implementation

As discussed above, various aspects of the invention relate to providingincentives using a frequent player program. Frequent player programs forcasinos generally involve players using frequent player program creditsat the casino or affiliated establishment. Therefore, the player mustvisit the casino or other gambling location in order to use the rewardsor incentives that the individual may obtain. However, there is noactual additional pull for getting the player to visit the gamblinglocation.

Additionally, it is appreciated that constantly visiting a casino at aphysical location may be inconvenient for a bettor, especially if thelocation is located far away from the bettor. However, with the adventof Internet-based betting sites and online casinos, land-based casinosand other gambling locations are at a disadvantage to obtaining bettorsthat can have other betting opportunities that are more readilyavailable.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for providingadditional incentives to a frequent player program member to visit acasino or other type of gambling location. One such method combines theease of using the Internet or other remote communication technologieswith the advantages of a frequent player program. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, each frequent player program member has a uniqueidentifier (e.g., number or account name) and a password or passcode. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the frequent player programmember may be presented with special incentives for remotely swiping hisor her frequent player program card (or by remotely entering his or herunique identifier and password) in a manner that the casino's frequentplayer program recognizes. A member may be able to remotely swipe theirfrequent player program card (or enter his or her unique identifier andpassword) using an audio-enabled, video-enabled, or cardreader-containing device. For instance, a kiosk, telephone having adisplay, television, computer or handheld device may be used. Thisadditional incentive, according to one embodiment, may require themember to return to the casino to redeem the incentive. The incentivemay, for example, be in the form of a prize, credit, or other incentivethat has value to the member.

The special incentive may be any program that is targeted exclusively tomembers that remotely swipe or otherwise use their frequent playerprogram cards. The special incentive program may include, for example,extra prizes or rewards that are awarded to frequent player programmembers when they remotely swipe or otherwise use their frequent playerprogram card. In one embodiment of the invention, the extra prizes orrewards are not provided to the member until he or she visits thegambling location. In another embodiment of the invention, the membermust visit the gambling location within a specified period of time toobtain the extra prizes or rewards. For instance, the specified timeperiod may be determined to be within a set time period of themembership card being swiped or within a set time period for the specialincentive. For example, a player may be required to visit a gamblinglocation within one week or two months of having swiped his or hermembership card. In another example, the player may be required to visitthe casino by a set date (e.g., Feb. 28, 2006) when the specialincentive expires.

In another embodiment, the player is encouraged to swipe or otherwiseuse their membership card remotely as frequently as possible. In oneexample implementation, a system (e.g., system 1200) may determineincentives periodically (e.g., daily) which are then displayed to theplayer. These incentives are displayed to the player as indication of awin in the display of a remote system. Because the incentives aredetermined in a periodic manner, continued return by the player to theremote system interface is encouraged. For instance, if the period fordetermining an incentive is once a day, a player will be encouraged touse the remote system to see if they have won any incentive(s). In thisway, both return to the casino and the remote interface is encouraged.

In one embodiment of the invention, a bonusing message may be presentedto the player when the player swipes his or her frequent player card atthe kiosk and a paper or electronic coupon may be activated for theplayer (FIG. 21). The bonusing message may indicate, for instance, thatthe player may be eligible to receive a prize (e.g., to be revealedonline). The player may then proceed to an operator's website eitheron-site or off-site from the casino. When the player logs in, the couponis activated to reveal the number of game credits a player has received.

Using the awarded game credits, the player may then proceed to play thegame. As the player plays the game(s), the player reveals a prize (e.g.,one or more non-cashable credits, complimentary offer(s), and/orpromotional prize(s)) won by the player. When revealed, the prizes maybe printed onto a coupon. In another embodiment, the prize may also havean expiration date, before which the prize may need to be redeemed(e.g., at a land-based or other type of casino or gambling location). Inthis manner, the player is incentivized to return to the gamblinglocation to redeem the award or prize.

In one embodiment, the prize may be predetermined. For instance, theamount of non-cashable credits may be a predetermined number stored in adatabase. In another example, the prize may be limited within apredetermined range (e.g., number of credits, monetary value, etc.), andthe actual awarded prize may be randomly selected from within the range.In this way, the award may appear to the player to be randomlydetermined.

In the case where the prize includes non-cashable credits, the playermay then proceed to the land-based casino or other gambling location anduse the non-cashable credits in any manner acceptable to the operator.An acceptable manner of use may include allowing the player to playstandard casino games, slot machines, or any other type of game.Generally, non-cashable credits may be used for playing casino-basedgaming machines.

In another embodiment of the invention, a player may receive an offerfor game play or any other invitation by direct mail, e-mail, telephone,pager, fax or any other communication method (FIG. 20) rather thanreceiving a bonusing message by swiping a frequent player card. Such anoffer for game play may, for example, direct the player to theoperator's website and provide the appropriate information for logginginto the website to play the game.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a player may enter asweepstake to win game play(s). The player may be informed whether theywon or lost at the time of entry. Preferably, the player is entered intoa sweepstake with a specified time of drawing. In another example, theplayer may be entered into only the next sweepstake drawing, a specifiednumber of sweepstakes drawings or all future sweepstakes drawings.

FIG. 20 shows one example of a method for providing incentives to aplayer. As shown in FIG. 20, the player may receive an offer orinvitation via direct mail or direct email. In one embodiment, theplayer is provided a code (e.g., a coupon code) which permits the playerto play an online game. The bonus or other award may be determined bythe operator based on one or more parameters.

For instance, the operator may determine a number of players that are toreceive a number of invitations to play the game. In one embodiment,players may be selected from a database (e.g., as identified by afrequent player account) and may be invited to play an online game. Asdiscussed above, the amount bonused or awarded to the player may bedetermined based on a player's historical performance, informationspecific to the player (e.g., income, residence address, position,etc.). Further, to encourage the player to return to the gamblinglocation or gambling property, an expiration date of the offer may bedetermined by an operator which encourages return to the property withina specific timeframe. Further, redemption instructions may be determinedbased on the bonus or invitation provided to the player.

According to one embodiment, various aspects of the invention areimplemented on a casino management system or other type of gamingmanagement system. According to one embodiment, the casino managementsystem associates the invitation or bonus with an identifier of theplayer, such as for example, a frequent player program identifier. Thecasino management system or CMS may store a number of elements relatedto the invitation such as, for example, a player card ID, bonus amount,expiration date, a unique code associated with the offer (e.g., a couponcode), or other miscellaneous information related to the invitationextended to the player.

The CMS or other type of gambling management system may be coupled toother types of servers that are used to conduct the online gamingexperience (e.g., server 1803 as discussed above with reference to FIG.18). According to one embodiment, such servers may be operated byanother entity referred to herein as the backroom operator or thebackoffice operator. The backoffice operator may be, for example, aservice provider to the casino or other gambling establishment thatconducts the online game experience. In one embodiment, the CMScommunicates a set of information to the backoffice operator such thatthe online gaming experience may be conducted. The backoffice operatormay have a number of systems (e.g., backoffice operator (BO) servers)that perform a number of functions associated with the online gamingexperience. In one embodiment, the backoffice operator and its systemsreceive information relating to the bonus offer or invitation that issent to one or more players. Based on this information, the BO systemmay tailor the online gaming experience accordingly. The BO system mayperform functions associated with authenticating particular players,obtaining additional information from the player such as, for exampleemail address, revealing outcomes of the offer or any other gameoutcomes, and displaying and/or printing any coupons or other item thatcan be redeemed by the player upon return to the gambling property.

A player receiving the offer visits the operator's website or otherfacility for presenting the game to the player. In one embodiment, theplayer logs into the bonus play game from the operator's website.Thereafter, the player plays an online game. In one particularembodiment, the player may receive bonus play game credits that may beused to play one or more online games. As discussed above, the gamespresented during the online game experience may be any type of game,including but not limited to games of skill, games of skill and chance,or pure games of chance. In one embodiment, the games provided onlinesimilar to those offered on the casino property. In one particular case,the offer extended to the player is based at least in part on the playof the player of the online game. At some point during the online gamingexperience, the player is provided a unique code (e.g., a unique couponcode) indicating the award provided to the player. Such an award mayindicate, for example, the amount bonused to the player, the expirationdate of the bonus, and any redemption instructions that are associatedwith the offer.

The player is incentivized by receipt of the offer to return to thegambling location (e.g., a casino property) so that the player canredeem the award. For instance, the player may redeem the award at arewards desk located in the casino, or may be provided some other methodfor redeeming the award. For instance, the award may be a complimentaryoffer which can be redeemed at a hotel located on the casino property,the award may be non-cashable credits which can be associated with afrequent player account which are then redeemed at a gambling device, orany other appropriate method for redeeming the award at the gamblinglocation. The operator may perform one or more actions associated withthe redemption offer such as recording the redemption of the particularoffer (e.g., recording the provided coupon code), voiding the couponcode for further redemption, crediting a player account on a casinomanagement system, or any other function.

As discussed above, the invitation to play an online game may beprovided in any manner and in any location. For instance, as shown inFIG. 21, the player, during a first visit of a gambling locationreceives an offer to play an online game. For instance, the player maytake one or more actions at the gambling location (e.g., swiping afrequent player card at a kiosk) that initiates the presentation of aninvitation to play the online game. For instance, a bonusing message maybe displayed to the player, and the player may be provided a couponwhich is associated with the frequent player identifier of the player.According to one embodiment, the bonus coupon is activated by the act ofthe player swiping his/her frequent player card at the property.Additionally, the player may play one or more games at the gamblinglocation.

After the player leaves the gambling environment (e.g., the playerreturns home, leaves the gambling property, etc.) the player may bepermitted to play the online game. Further, as discussed above, theplayer may be presented a bonus or other award that incentivizes theplayer to return to the gambling location. For instance, as shown inFIG. 21, the player during a second visit to the gambling location maybe awarded credits to be used at the casino property during the secondvisit.

In yet another embodiment of the invention as shown in FIG. 22, theplayer may receive an entry into a sweepstakes during a first visit tothe gambling location. The sweepstakes entries may be initiated upon oneor more actions during the first visit of the player. Such actions mayinclude, for example, a swipe of a frequent player card, one or moregambling activities performed by the player at the gambling location, orother player action. In one embodiment, the sweepstakes entries may befor a drawing that occurs at some later time. For instance, there may bedrawings daily, nightly, etc. that may encourage the player to eitherremain on the gambling location property, or otherwise return to thegambling location after receiving the sweepstakes results.

In one embodiment, a computer system may be used to perform one or moreremote operations. A computer system may be a single computer that mayinclude a minicomputer, a mainframe, a personal computer, or combinationthereof. The computer system may include any type of system capable ofperforming remote computing operations (e.g., cell phone, PDA, set-topbox, or other system). A computer system used to run the operation mayalso include any combination of computer system types that cooperate toaccomplish system-level tasks. Multiple computer systems may also beused to run the operation. The computer system also may include input oroutput devices, displays, or storage units. It should be appreciatedthat any computer system or systems may be used, and the invention isnot limited to any number, type, or configuration of computer systems.

A computer system that executes operations according to variousembodiments of the invention may include, for example, one or moresystem components. For instance, one system component may handle remoteentry by frequent player program members. Another system component mayhandle the special incentives and a third system may handle payouts.Such a system may also be connected (e.g., by direct line or network) toother computer systems including systems for handling casino or hotelloyalty programs, reservations, in-room television viewing, gamblingfloor kiosks, or other systems. Connections to other computer systemsmay be performed using one or more of the system components describedbelow.

A remote entry component may include one or more of a number ofwell-known systems. For example, a bettor may be able to enter remotelythrough an off-casino kiosk or other system that is connected to theremote entry computer system through an interface. In the computer, datamay be stored in a database that is stored in the memory of a computersystem. As used herein, a “data structure” is an arrangement of datadefined by computer-readable signals. These signals may be read by acomputer system, stored on a medium associated with a computer system(e.g., in a memory, on a disk, etc.) and may be transmitted to one ormore other computer systems over a communications medium such as, forexample, a network. Also as used herein, a “user interface” or “UI” isan interface between a human user and a computer that enablescommunication between a user and a computer. Examples of UIs that may beimplemented with various aspects of the invention include a graphicaluser interface (GUI), a display screen, a mouse, a keyboard, a keypad, atrack ball, a microphone (e.g., to be used in conjunction with a voicerecognition system), a speaker, a touch screen, a game controller (e.g.,a joystick) etc, and any combinations thereof.

Frequent player program member information may also be entered into aremote entry system component. Member information that may be input mayinclude, for example, member name, address, telephone number and age,and payment information may include credit or debit card number orloyalty account information. Based upon the member information, the callcenter representative may verify that the member information isaccurate.

Various remote entry systems and one or more user interfaces may belocated on computer systems coupled by a network with the computersystem(s) storing data having member, account and subscriptioninformation. As used herein, a “network” or a “communications network”is a group of two or more devices interconnected by one or more segmentsof transmission media or active communications equipment on whichcommunications may be exchanged between the devices.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for providingadditional incentives to a frequent player program member to encouragethem to visit a land-based casino or other gambling location. Oneimplementation combines the ease of using the Internet or other remotecommunication technologies with the advantages of a frequent playerprogram. More particularly, a frequent player program member may beprovided an incentive to return to the casino or other gambling locationin a more convenient location to the member (e.g., at home, on a cellphone, PDA, etc.).

In another embodiment of the invention, extra prizes or rewards may bewon through a sweepstake. In one example, the frequent player programmember may be informed whether they won or lost at the time of entry.Preferably, the member is not informed of their winnings until he or shevisits the gambling location to encourage more members (even losingones) to visit the gambling location.

In one implementation, a computer system of a casino may automaticallydetermine when a remote frequent player program member is a winner. Sucha result may be automatically authenticated and verified by the computersystem. In this instance, the computer system may then notify the memberthat he or she has won and what the winnings are. Notification ofwinning to a member may occur, for example, by mail, e-mail, Internet orother network, telephone, television, pager, fax, kiosk or any othermethod. In one implementation, the player may be advised of theirwinning during play of an online game. For instance, during play of anonline game in which winnings are displayed to the player, the gameprogram may be configured to reveal an indication of a win of anincentive. Displaying of the indication may occur, for example, withinthe game, or the display may occur within play of another game (e.g., asecondary game to the online game).

After a winner is authenticated and verified, the computer system maythen notify other members of the win. Additionally, the computer systemmay display the member's identity and/or payout.

A member may be able to remotely swipe their frequent player programcard (or otherwise enter his or her unique identifier and password)using an audio-enabled, video-enabled, or card reader-containing device.For instance, a kiosk, telephone having a display, television, computeror handheld device may be used. However, it should be appreciated thatany other entry method may be used (e.g., by entering a memberidentifier manually into a computer system).

In one embodiment, a computer system may be used to operate most of thisremote operation. A computer system may be a single computer that may bea supercomputer, a minicomputer, a mainframe, or a personal computer. Acomputer system used to run the operation may also include anycombination of computer system types that cooperate to accomplishsystem-level tasks. Multiple computer systems may also be used to runthe operation. The computer system also may include input or outputdevices, displays, or storage units. It should be appreciated that anycomputer system or systems may be used, and the invention is not limitedto any number, type, or configuration of computer systems.

A computer system (e.g., system 2500) that executes game operationsaccording to various embodiments of the invention may include, forexample, one or more system components as shown in FIG. 25. One systemcomponent may handle remote entry by frequent player program members.Another system component may handle the special incentives and yetanother system may handle payouts. Such a system may also be connected(e.g., by direct line or network) to other computer systems includingsystems for handling casino or hotel loyalty programs, reservations,in-room television viewing, gambling floor kiosks, or other systems.Connections to other computer systems may be performed using one or moreof the system components described below.

A remote entry component (e.g., system 2502) may include one or more ofa number of well-known systems (e.g., as shown in FIG. 26). For example,a bettor may be able to enter remotely through an off-casino kiosk orother method (e.g., cell phone) is connected to the remote entrycomputer system through an interface. In the computer, data may bestored in a database that is stored in the memory of a computer system.As used herein, a “data structure” is an arrangement of data defined bycomputer-readable signals. These signals may be read by a computersystem, stored on a medium associated with a computer system (e.g., in amemory, on a disk, etc.) and may be transmitted to one or more othercomputer systems over a communications medium such as, for example, anetwork. Also as used herein, a “user interface” or “UI” is an interfacebetween a human user and a computer that enables communication between auser and a computer. Examples of UIs that may be implemented withvarious aspects of the invention include a graphical user interface(GUI), a display screen, a mouse, a keyboard, a keypad, a track ball, amicrophone (e.g., to be used in conjunction with a voice recognitionsystem), a speaker, a touch screen, a game controller (e.g., a joystick)etc, and any combinations thereof.

Frequent player program member information may also be entered into aremote entry system component (e.g., system 2502). Member informationthat may be input includes name, address, telephone number and age, andpayment information may include a credit or debit card number or loyaltyaccount information. Based upon the member information, the call centerrepresentative may verify that the member information is accurate.

Various remote entry systems and one or more user interfaces may belocated on computer systems coupled by a network with the computersystem(s) storing data having member, account, and subscriptioninformation. As used herein, a “network” or a “communications network”is a group of two or more devices interconnected by one or more segmentsof transmission media or active communications equipment on whichcommunications may be exchanged between the devices. One example of anetwork includes the Internet, at least a portion of which may be usedto remotely access incentive information.

The above examples are merely illustrative embodiments of a remote entrysystem component. It should be appreciated that an illustrativeembodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as anyof numerous other implementations of the remote entry system, forexample, variations for remote entry method, are possible and areintended to fall within the scope of the invention. For example, theremote entry system may include using pay-per-view systems associatedwith interactive television in an off-site hotel or the remote entryengine may additionally deliver a receipt to the member by either e-mailor mail. None of the claims set forth below are intended to be limitedto any particular implementation of a remote entry system unless suchclaim includes a limitation explicitly reciting a particularimplementation.

Payout systems or payment systems (e.g., payment system 2602 as shown inFIG. 26) are also well-known. Any of a number of standard systems orpayout engines for making payouts for winning may be used. For example,a standard application programming interface such as ‘Quicken’(available commercially from Intuit Inc., Mountain View, Calif., USA)may be used to write and mail checks or credit a debit card, credit card(if legal in the jurisdiction of play) or loyalty account. ‘Quicken’ mayobtain the payout information by accessing a payout data structureacross a network. As used herein, an “application programming interface”or “API” is a set of one or more computer-readable instructions thatprovide access to one or more other sets of computer-readableinstructions that define functions, so that such functions can beconfigured to be executed on a computer in conjunction with anapplication program.

‘Quicken’ is merely an illustrative embodiment of a payout system. Suchan illustrative embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention, as any of numerous other implementations of the payoutsystem, for example, variations of online payout, are possible and areintended to fall within the scope of the invention. Additionally, acashier may also have access to payout information using a userinterface to the payout data structure through a network; the cashierthen makes a payment to the winning player based upon the accessedinformation. None of the claims set forth below are intended to belimited to any particular implementation of a pay system unless suchclaim includes a limitation explicitly reciting a particularimplementation.

Special Incentives System

A special incentives system (e.g., system 2506 as shown in FIG. 27)according to one embodiment of the invention may comprise of a number ofcomponents for performing specific functions as shown in FIG. 27. Thesecomponents may include, for example, a storage component that storesdata structures having information relating to special incentiveprograms and odds. For example, such information may include programdates, time, and location, member's betting and win history, and programodds. A remote incentives system may also include components to accessremote entry and payout data structures.

A special incentives system, according to one embodiment, may alsoinclude an incentives engine. An incentives engine may perform, forexample, any or all functions required to administer the specialincentives program(s) for remote entry frequent player program members.The frequent player program member's winnings of the incentives may bestored and tracked by a computer system of the casino.

In one example, a management system (e.g., a casino management system)may generate incentives and assign them to players. Alternatively, theincentives engine may assign incentive and communicate those assignmentsto the management system. However, it should be appreciated that theremay be many different systems that are capable of generating and/orassigning incentives to a player.

The player's winnings may be displayed on one or more interfaces of oneor more systems, including, but not limited to, a game playing computersystem on which the player is playing, a player tracking system orcasino management system that tracks player wins/losses, or other system(e.g., a player kiosk) that allows different people (casino manager,player, teller, etc.) to view the status of the incentive awards. Suchincentives may be tracked by the frequent player identifier or otherunique identifier associated with the player.

The processes described above are merely illustrative embodiments of amethod for providing special incentives to frequent player programmembers. Such an illustrative embodiment is not intended to limit thescope of the invention, as any of numerous other implementations forperforming the invention. None of the claims set forth below areintended to be limited to any particular implementation of a method ofproviding special incentives, unless such claim includes a limitationexplicitly reciting a particular implementation.

Processes and methods associated with various embodiments, acts thereofand various embodiments and variations of these methods and acts,individually or in combination, may be defined by computer-readablesignals tangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium, for example, anon-volatile recording medium, an integrated circuit memory element, ora combination thereof. Such signals may define instructions, forexample, as part of one or more programs, that, as a result of beingexecuted by a computer, instruct the computer to perform one or more ofthe methods or acts described herein, and/or various embodiments,variations and combinations thereof. Such instructions may be written inany of a plurality of programming languages, for example, Java, VisualBasic, C, C#, or C++, Fortran, Pascal, Eiffel, Basic, COBOL, etc., orany of a variety of combinations thereof. The computer-readable mediumon which such instructions are stored may reside on one or more of thecomponents of a general-purpose computer described above, and may bedistributed across one or more of such components.

The computer-readable medium may be transportable such that theinstructions stored thereon can be loaded onto any computer systemresource to implement the aspects of the present invention discussedherein. In addition, it should be appreciated that the instructionsstored on the computer-readable medium, described above, are not limitedto instructions embodied as part of an application program running on ahost computer. Rather, the instructions may be embodied as any type ofcomputer code (e.g., software or microcode) that can be employed toprogram a processor to implement the above-discussed aspects of thepresent invention.

It should be appreciated that any single component or collection ofmultiple components of a computer system, for example, the computersystem described below in relation to FIG. 23, that perform thefunctions described above with respect to describe or reference themethod can be generically considered as one or more controllers thatcontrol the above-discussed functions. The one or more controllers canbe implemented in numerous ways, such as with dedicated hardware, orusing a processor that is programmed using microcode or software toperform the functions recited above.

Another component of the special incentives system may include asoftware component (e.g., a driver) that streams video via a broadband,satellite or wireless medium to a user interface. If the remote accessis completely automatic, the user interface may be merely a videoterminal including television with no user input means. Viewing accessmay be controlled by standard methods for conditional access includingusing set top box addresses, telephone numbers or internet protocol (IP)addresses.

The above is merely an illustrative embodiment of a special incentivessystem. Such an illustrative embodiment is not intended to limit thescope of the invention, as any of numerous other implementations of aspecial incentives system, for example, variations of conditionalaccess, are possible and are intended to fall within the scope of theinvention. None of the claims set forth below are intended to be limitedto any particular implementation of a special incentives system unlesssuch claim includes a limitation explicitly reciting a particularimplementation.

System 2500, and components thereof such as the payment, payout andbetting engines, may be implemented using software (e.g., C, C#, C++,Java, or a combination thereof), hardware (e.g., one or moreapplication-specific integrated circuits, processors or other hardware),firmware (e.g., electrically-programmed memory) or any combinationthereof. One or more of the components of 2500 may reside on a singlesystem (e.g., the payment subsystem), or one or more components mayreside on separate, discrete systems. Further, each component may bedistributed across multiple systems, and one or more of the systems maybe interconnected.

Further, on each of the one or more systems that include one or morecomponents of 1600, each of the components may reside in one or morelocations on the system. For example, different portions of thecomponents of 2500 may reside in different areas of memory (e.g., RAM,ROM, disk, etc.) on the system. Each of such one or more systems mayinclude, among other components, a plurality of known components such asone or more processors, a memory system, a disk storage system, one ormore network interfaces, and one or more busses or other internalcommunication links interconnecting the various components.

System 2500 may be implemented on a computer system described below inrelation to FIGS. 23 and 24.

System 2500 is merely an illustrative embodiment of the remote entrysystem. Such an illustrative embodiment is not intended to limit thescope of the invention, as any of numerous other implementations of theremote entry system, for example, variations of 2500, are possible andare intended to fall within the scope of the invention. For example,interactive television may also be used to view the available bets. Noneof the claims set forth below are intended to be limited to anyparticular implementation of the betting system unless such claimincludes a limitation explicitly reciting a particular implementation.

Various embodiments according to the invention may be implemented on oneor more computer systems. These computer systems may be, for example,general-purpose computers such as those based on Intel PENTIUM-typeprocessor, Motorola PowerPC, Sun UltraSPARC, Hewlett-Packard PA-RISCprocessors, or any other type of processor. It should be appreciatedthat one or more of any type computer system may be used to partially orfully automate play of the described game according to variousembodiments of the invention. Further, the software design system may belocated on a single computer or may be distributed among a plurality ofcomputers attached by a communications network.

For example, various aspects of the invention may be implemented asspecialized software executing in a general-purpose computer system 2300such as that shown in FIG. 23. The computer system 2300 may include aprocessor 2303 connected to one or more memory devices 2304, such as adisk drive, memory, or other device for storing data. Memory 2304 istypically used for storing programs and data during operation of thecomputer system 2300. Components of computer system 2300 may be coupledby an interconnection mechanism 2305, which may include one or morebusses (e.g., between components that are integrated within a samemachine) and/or a network (e.g., between components that reside onseparate discrete machines). The interconnection mechanism 2305 enablescommunications (e.g., data, instructions) to be exchanged between systemcomponents of system 2300. Computer system 2300 also includes one ormore input devices 2302, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball,microphone, touch screen, and one or more output devices 2301, forexample, a printing device, display screen, and/or speaker. In addition,computer system 2300 may contain one or more interfaces (not shown) thatconnect computer system 2300 to a communication network (in addition oras an alternative to the interconnection mechanism 2305.

The storage system 2306, shown in greater detail in FIG. 24, typicallyincludes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatile recording medium2401 in which signals are stored that define a program to be executed bythe processor or information stored on or in the medium 2401 to beprocessed by the program. The medium may, for example, be a disk orflash memory. Typically, in operation, the processor causes data to beread from the nonvolatile recording medium 2401 into another memory 2402that allows for faster access to the information by the processor thandoes the medium 2401. This memory 2402 is typically a volatile, randomaccess memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or staticmemory (SRAM). It may be located in storage system 2306, as shown, or inmemory system 2304, not shown. The processor 2303 generally manipulatesthe data within the integrated circuit memory 2304, 2402 and then copiesthe data to the medium 2401 after processing is completed. A variety ofmechanisms are known for managing data movement between the medium 2401and the integrated circuit memory element 2304, 2402, and the inventionis not limited thereto. The invention is not limited to a particularmemory system 2304 or storage system 2306.

The computer system may include specially-programmed, special-purposehardware, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC). Aspects of the invention may be implemented in software,hardware or firmware, or any combination thereof. Further, such methods,acts, systems, system elements and components thereof may be implementedas part of the computer system described above or as an independentcomponent.

Although computer system 2300 is shown by way of example as one type ofcomputer system upon which various aspects of the invention may bepracticed, it should be appreciated that aspects of the invention arenot limited to being implemented on the computer system as shown in FIG.23. Various aspects of the invention may be practiced on one or morecomputers having a different architecture or components that that shownin FIG. 23.

Computer system 2300 may be a general-purpose computer system that isprogrammable using a high-level computer programming language. Computersystem 2300 may be also implemented using specially programmed, specialpurpose hardware. In computer system 2300, processor 2303 is typically acommercially available processor such as the well-known Pentium classprocessor available from the Intel Corporation. Many other processorsare available. Such a processor usually executes an operating systemwhich may be, for example, the Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT,Windows 2000 (Windows ME), Windows XP, or Windows Visa operating systemsavailable from the Microsoft Corporation, MAC OS System X available fromApple Computer, the Solaris Operating System available from SunMicrosystems, or UNIX available from various sources. Many otheroperating systems may be used.

The processor and operating system together define a computer platformfor which application programs in high-level programming languages arewritten. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to aparticular computer system platform, processor, operating system, ornetwork. Also, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art thatthe present invention is not limited to a specific programming languageor computer system. Further, it should be appreciated that otherappropriate programming languages and other appropriate computer systemscould also be used.

One or more portions of the computer system may be distributed acrossone or more computer systems (not shown) coupled to a communicationsnetwork. These computer systems also may be general-purpose computersystems. For example, various aspects of the invention may bedistributed among one or more computer systems configured to provide aservice (e.g., servers) to one or more client computers, or to performan overall task as part of a distributed system. For example, variousaspects of the invention may be performed on a client-server system thatincludes components distributed among one or more server systems thatperform various functions according to various embodiments of theinvention. These components may be executable, intermediate (e.g., IL)or interpreted (e.g., Java) code which communicate over a communicationnetwork (e.g., the Internet) using a communication protocol (e.g.,TCP/IP).

It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to executingon any particular system or group of systems. Also, it should beappreciated that the invention is not limited to any particulardistributed architecture, network, or communication protocol. Variousembodiments of the present invention may be programmed using anobject-oriented programming language, such as SmallTalk, Java, C++, Ada,or C# (C-Sharp). Other object-oriented programming languages may also beused. Alternatively, functional, scripting, and/or logical programminglanguages may be used. Various aspects of the invention may beimplemented in a non-programmed environment (e.g., documents created inHTML, XML or other format that, when viewed in a window of a browserprogram, render aspects of a graphical-user interface (GUI) or performother functions). Various aspects of the invention may be implemented asprogrammed or non-programmed elements, or any combination thereof.

Having now described some illustrative embodiments of the invention, itshould be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing ismerely illustrative and not limiting, having been presented by way ofexample only. Numerous modifications and other illustrative embodimentsare within the scope of one of ordinary skill in the art and arecontemplated as falling within the scope of the invention. Inparticular, although many of the examples presented herein involvespecific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should beunderstood that those acts and those elements may be combined in otherways to accomplish the same objectives. Acts, elements and featuresdiscussed only in connection with one embodiment are not intended to beexcluded from a similar role in other embodiments. Further, for the oneor more means-plus-function limitations recited in the following claims,the means are not intended to be limited to the means disclosed hereinfor performing the recited function, but are intended to cover in scopeany means, known now or later developed, for performing the recitedfunction.

As used herein, whether in the written description or the claims, theterms “comprising”, “including”, “containing”, “characterized by” andthe like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean includingbut not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and“consisting essentially of”, respectively, shall be closed orsemi-closed transitional phrases, as set forth, with respect to claims,in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures(Eighth Edition 2^(nd) Revision, May 2004), Section 2111.03.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, “a”, “b” “c”etc., in the claims to modify or otherwise identify a claim element doesnot by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claimelement over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method areperformed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claimelement having a certain name from another element having a same name(but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

1. A system for managing data in a computer-based environment, thesystem comprising: a customer-facing component that collects playerinformation; a casino-facing component that collects casino information;and a rule-based component that determines access to the playerinformation and the casino information by the player, the casino andthird parties other than the player and the casino providing theinformation.
 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising acomponent that determines an offer to at least one player, the offerbeing fulfilled by at least one casino, the offer being based at leastin part on the collected player information.
 3. The system according toclaim 2, wherein the offer is determined responsive to a component thatreceives criteria from the at least one player regarding a desiredoffer.
 4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the offer ispresented to the at least one player in response to the determination ofthe offer.
 5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising adatabase that stored the player information and the casino information.6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an applicationprogramming interface (API) adapted to provide at least one data serviceto at least one information consumer.
 7. The system according to claim6, wherein the at least one information consumer includes a casino, andwherein the data service provides the collected player information. 8.The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one informationconsumer includes at least one player, and wherein the data serviceprovides collected casino information.
 9. The system according to claim8, wherein the collected casino information includes at least onepromotional offer.
 10. The system according to claim 1, furthercomprising a component that collects player information from one or morepublic and private data sources.
 11. The system according to claim 1,wherein the customer-facing component includes at least one website thatcollects the player information.
 12. The system according to claim 11,wherein the website provides access to frequent player information of atleast one player in exchange for providing access to player informationrelating to the at least one player.
 13. The system according to claim1, further comprising a component that is adapted to correlate frequentplayer information to an identity of at least one player.
 14. The systemaccording to claim 13, further comprising a component adapted tocorrelate frequent player information from multiple frequent playerprograms with the identity of the at least one player.
 15. The systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising an advertising componentadapted to determine an ad displayed to at least one player responsiveto the collected player information.
 16. The system according to claim1, further comprising an advertising network wherein advertisingmessages are targeted to players based on the player informationcollected by the system.
 17. A computer-implemented method for managingdata in a distributed computer system, the system comprising acts of:collecting, by a customer-facing component, player information;collecting, by a casino-facing component, casino information; anddetermining, by a rule-based component, access to the player informationand the casino information by the player, the casino and third partiesother than the player and the casino providing the information.
 18. Themethod according to claim 17, further comprising acts of determining anoffer to at least one player, the offer being fulfilled by at least onecasino, the offer being based at least in part on the collected playerinformation.
 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the offer isdetermined responsive to a component that receives criteria from the atleast one player regarding a desired offer.
 20. The method according toclaim 18, wherein the offer is presented to the at least one player inresponse to the determination of the offer.
 21. The method according toclaim 17, further comprising an act of storing, in a database, theplayer information and the casino information.
 22. The method accordingto claim 17, further comprising an act of providing an applicationprogramming interface (API) that presents at least one data service toat least one information consumer.
 23. The method according to claim 22,wherein the at least one information consumer includes a casino, andwherein the data service provides the collected player information. 24.The method according to claim 22, wherein the at least one informationconsumer includes at least one player, and wherein the data serviceprovides collected casino information.
 25. The method according to claim24, wherein the collected casino information includes at least onepromotional offer.
 26. The method according to claim 17, furthercomprising an act of collecting player information from one or morepublic and private data sources.
 27. The method according to claim 17,wherein the customer-facing component includes at least one website thatcollects the player information.
 28. The method according to claim 27,wherein the website provides access to frequent player information of atleast one player in exchange for providing access to player informationrelating to the at least one player.
 29. The method according to claim17, further comprising an act of correlating frequent player informationto an identity of at least one player.
 30. The method according to claim29, further comprising an act of correlating frequent player informationfrom multiple frequent player programs with the identity of the at leastone player.
 31. The method according to claim 17, further comprising anact of determining, by an advertising component, an ad displayed to atleast one player responsive to the collected player information.
 32. Themethod according to claim 17, further comprising an act of targeting, byan advertising network, advertising messages to players based on theplayer information collected by the system.
 33. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructionsthat when executed on a processor performs a method for collectingplayer information in a distributed computer system, the methodcomprising acts of: collecting, by a customer-facing component, playerinformation; collecting, by a casino-facing component, casinoinformation; and determining, by a rule-based component, access to theplayer information and the casino information by the player, the casinoand third parties other than the player and the casino providing theinformation.
 34. The computer readable medium according to claim 33,further comprising acts of determining an offer to at least one player,the offer being fulfilled by at least one casino, the offer being basedat least in part on the collected player information.
 35. The computerreadable medium according to claim 34, wherein the offer is determinedresponsive to a component that receives criteria from the at least oneplayer regarding a desired offer.
 36. The computer readable mediumaccording to claim 34, wherein the offer is presented to the at leastone player in response to the determination of the offer.
 37. Thecomputer readable medium according to claim 33, further comprisingstoring, in a database, the player information and the casinoinformation.